I had to sneak up on these two for these shots, it was just too perfect. They were napping in the warm sunshine, it was chilly this am but quite nice in the sun.

I have spent the day moving Cinder to her home. Hope she has settled in with her nanny, Slipper.

I have been having some serious thinking to do about what and how I want to get on my career path. What do I need to do and what sort of education and experience do I need? So I talked with a friend last night, Deb is a anthropology professor and also works for the state. I wanted her opinion about this, she suggested that I get out of the anthro department and go ahead and get into the masters program for public history. I envision myself working in a living history museum as an interpretor/demonstator. I love being a riding instructor, but it isn't going be a long term fulltime career. I hope to be able to keep teaching for as long as possible but I want to do something that will allow me to have a place of my own and to be comfortable, get all my bills paid and such.

I am going to talk to the director of the public history program week after next, to get her take on what I should be planning. I am so close to getting my anthro BA that I am not going to stop that, I am within 2 or 3 semesters from graduating. 2012 will be soon enough to get started in grad school, this way I am in the groove of school and am not trying to figure out what I am doing by trial and error.

I am very excited about being in school, learning new things, and meeting interesting people.

Buddy, my other best barn buddy. He is keeping a watch out for the horses. He is my guard where ever I go.

Charmer and his new friend Cinder. She is a 5 month old TB/QH filly that we had at the barn for weaning. We were hoping that he would play with her but e got bored with that.

Nick and I, he is checking to be sure that I really don't have any treats.

Jack, my barn buddy. He showed up November last year and never left. He truly believes that he is a teacup poodle and doesn't understand why folks cry and groan when he sits on them.

Courtney and Sawyer

Cole and Charmer

Nick laughing

Best looking tushes ever...

Muddy Apache the Wonder Pony

Charmer looking wonderful.

26 October 2010

Nothing much happening at the barn, things are just rolling along so nicely. Buggs is a wooly one, looks like he is a plush toy with his winter coat. It is so black and shiny, he is round and bright eyed. I had to start him back on the bute with the cool weather and I am glad that I did. He has trotted into eat a couple of times, I watch him and just get teary eyed that he feels good. I am so happy to have this horse in my life. I am thankful for everyday that we have had and all the days to come. Having him in my life has made me the person that I am, thank you Buggs.

Charmer has been good to ride, although he has gotten a little spookier lately. I think the cool weather is getting to his little boy brain. I am not complaining exactly, just a sort of awareness of it. He looks at stuff that has been there for months now, and all of a sudden it is going to eat him. Good grief, but I can't get mad or upset with him cause he is just being a horse. I just ride a little more defensively while we are out cause even though he is a big guy he can turn on a dime when the mood or the monster strikes.

We have been having some issues with the leg yield and the shoulder fore, he gets stuck and then gets mad. I don't think it is a pain issue but more of a I don't wannnnnna do this. I am going to break it down into tinier steps for him and also get Teresa to watch us this weekend or early next week to see what I am doing wrong. I don't want him to be a brat about it and get out of working, once I get the movements from him his trot improves so much. I am working him in the round pen a couple of times a week to practice cantering. His transitions have improved to the right but the left is still a little scary. He is a lefty, which is funny since most horses and riders are righties. We balance each other fairly well, good thing too. I am going to really try to canter him next week in the warm up arena. Bigger than the dressage arena and no jumps like in the big arena. I get steel butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it, but if Rebecca can canter her little Tucker than I can canter my big guy. I am going to have to just suck it up and get out there and canter. I am holding him back from moving onto first level. Once I get over my canter issues, we are going to start schooling first level and show training. The new tests make it easier, posting the trot is now an option in first level. Yipppeeee, but we will be working on the sitting trot so that by the end of the season next year I will be sitting so that we can move to second.

School is going pretty good, only a few more weeks left. Got my schedule for next semester ready, going to have to be on campus every day but a couple of those days only for an hour or so. I will still be able to be at the barn to teach and to ride. Although one of my classes next sememster is very hard, it is going to take lots of work to get through it. I am going to manage though, there isn't any other option.

17 Oct 2010

We had a show this weekend, everything went great. So many wonderful horses and riders, they all seemed to have a good time. No body came off, had several stops on stadium and cross country but nothing too bad.

My students did so well, they have all banded together to create a club of sorts. I am so proud of them for including everyone. One of my girls has just started eventing, she comes from a hunter jumper background. We don't have to worry about the jumping, those two are jumping fools. The dressage on the other hand needs lots and lots of work. Pony needs to be rounder and more forward, Claire needs to sit her tushy into the saddle and lengthen her stirrups. For only having been in the dressage arena 3 times ever, she did a GREAT job this weekend.

Anna did a wonderful dressage test, only had a small blip on her second circle. She momentarily forgot where she was going, but corrected it withing a couple of strides. Her overall test was decent, there are still things we need to work on but that is ok, she did a great job. She had a slight meltdown in stadium warmup, I set the vertical up to 2'3" but she refused to jump it. It was no smaller than what she was doing in our lesson on Monday. I told her that if she didn't jump that she wasn't going to be allowed to jump every again.

Thankfully she stepped up and got the job done in stadium. Apache was a snotty pony, he grabbed the bit a couple of times and took off towards the gate. Anna was so good, even though she could have given up she was determined and rode through it. She took the scenic route to a couple of the jumps, but didn't miss any. She came out and we both just started laughing, relieved and happy that she made it. I think that it might be time to put a slightly stronger bit for jumping.

Megan had a wonderful dressage test, forward but slightly round. It was a really good test, her and Domino are becoming such great partners. We need to work on Megans position and Domino getting lighter and more onto her haunches. That will all take time and practice.

Stadium was another matter, it seems that she forgot where she was going and missed jump 6. D stopped at fence 7 but Megan got her turned back to it very quickly. I am very proud of her for being so assertive with D, sometimes she doesn't stay on top of asking and requesting the mare to work. Domino is basically a lazy girl, got good brakes.

Lily was wonderful for her first time doing the pre-intro test all by herself. Scored a 60 something, next time she is going to trot the test. Her momma told me that Lily was thinking about trotting the test this time, thank goodness she decided not too. I don't think that I could have handled that, we decided that next show was soon enough.

I have been so busy with school, classes are going fairly well. I am sort of scared that I am not doing a good enough job. I am such a perfectionist, but with the barn and lessons it is really hard to get everything done. I guess I don't manage my time well enough, I let things like emails and facebook get in the way. I have 2 assignments due Tues that I haven't started but I can't seem to get started. Plus I have a short research paper and a test for my anth of food class. So many things due this week, and I don't want to even do any of it.

I will get my act together and have everything done, hopefully it will be good work and not something that reads a slipshod and thrown together.

2 October 2010

A very sad day here at Red Horse Stables, one of our barn cats was found dead in the pasture. We don't know what happened, he was an older cat so it might have just been his time. There was a feral dog sighting a few days ago so it might have been them. Opus was a lovely black and white tuxedo cat, who as a youngster was stepped on by horse and a broken shoulder. They had to keep him sedated for several weeks while he had a half body cast on. All those drugs did a number on him and he would flop down ANY WHERE to nap. Under cars, under benches, anyplace that was even remotely flat. He was a great kitty, we will miss him very much. Rest in Peace Opus, we will see you on the other side of the bridge.

Still haven't ridden much, weather is perfect for it and I had to go and get sick. A sinus infection has my head clogged up and nose running. I was running a fever several days this week too. Had a midterm on Thursday, I so bombed that test. I could hardly put a sentance together and have it make sense. I really wish that I could have taken the test this week instead, it would have been better. Oh well, it will be ok.

Charmer is so pretty right now, he is sporting his winter coat color. So dark and gleaming. I really wish I could keep his winter color all year. I suppose if I kept him up durung the day in the summer but I would rather him be sane and faded out and not crazy and dark. I love my big goofy guy, really wanting to get back into riding. I have missed it and with a lesson with Greta at the end of Oct, I need to get to working on him. Amanda said she was going to email Greta and have her make us canter. I would be willing as long someone else is going to drive my truck and trailer back cause I am going to need a stiff drink before and after.

Buggs is doing pretty well, he has gotten his winter color too. So dark and shiny. Both of his hocks have swollen now. The right has been for a year or more now but the left has swelled in the last week or so. I have been DMSOing both of them, I don't think that it is really going to do any good. I have a feeling that it is the arthritis that is flareing up. He was walking so slowly the other night that I just started crying. It hurts my heart to see him hurt. I hope that I know when the time comes to let him go. On the other hand, as he walked past me he grinned at me. So I know that he still feels pretty good. I started him back on bute this evening, one gram a day. We will see how he feels in a few days.