I've been a bit frustrated lately. I kind of expected to just get on again and be able to jump right in, pain free. That's not been the case. I guess it's getting better by the day, but I'm still feeling pretty limited.
On a happier note, Miss Dee has been absolutely fantastic! It took her two days before she settled. Sunday, she was very tense and looky, and only settled at the very end. Monday, she was a little better, but still took a good long while before she settled. She was also off her feed, and just stalking around the paddock. Yesterday, however, she was fabulous. She went out and got right to work. She was stretching and relaxed, and even though one of the horses in the barn kept screaming to her, she was totally focused. Her canter work was pretty good, too. I can't do too much canter work right now, so we just did two short canters in each direction, but she's really come a long way in that department. Now I feel like I can put my leg on and half-halt, and actually have her ACCEPT the half-halt. All in all, it was a great ride, and for the past few days, I've actually gotten off with a big smile, because she's actually quite fun now! Hopefully we'll continue in the right direction, and my back will be strong enough to do more soon.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
From Problem Child to Lesson Horse!?
Dee is coming home on Saturday!! I am SO excited to have my little girl back with me again. Stephie seems to think that the regumate has helped, and told me that lately Dee has been trying super hard all the time, never saying no or being a crab. Let's hope that continues! Also, Steph has a student that comes up on weekends, and her horse has been injured, so Steph has been giving her lessons on Dee. Apparently, the woman even considered wanting to BUY Dee because she likes her so much, but then realized that she doesn't have time to deal with an injured horse, a full time job AND something she needs to ride. However, I'm really excited to hear that someone has been thoroughly enjoying my horse! I love that Steph puts other people up on the horses in training, because let's face it: those of us sending horses to her are NOT professional riders. We make mistakes. By throwing fellow amateurs up on the training horses, it makes them even more rideable. Steph is there on the ground, guiding, so obviously there's no terrible mistakes being made, but the horse is learning to deal with little mistakes here and there, which is what Dee needs.
Saturday is going to be a long day: drive to Litchfield to pick up the truck, then on to Chase Farm, then a lesson with Steph, then to Dee's new house in Woodbury, then back to Litchfield to drop the truck off. WHEW! Lucky my back is finally feeling better, because that's a LOT of driving!
Saturday is going to be a long day: drive to Litchfield to pick up the truck, then on to Chase Farm, then a lesson with Steph, then to Dee's new house in Woodbury, then back to Litchfield to drop the truck off. WHEW! Lucky my back is finally feeling better, because that's a LOT of driving!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Summer Plans
So, I've finally started thinking about what my summer plan for Dee might be. Of course, this is all extremely tentative. It will depend on me and how my back holds up. It will also depend on Dee and how she progresses.
So, summer schedule (maybe):
May 19: Take Dee back to CT!
June 12: Larkin Hill Horse Trials - Intro division
June 18: Rebecca Howard Clinic at Frazier Farm
OR
June 19: Great Vista Farm Horse Trials - Beginner Novice
July 9-10: Old Chatham Horse Trials - Beginner Novice
July 17: Riga Meadow Horse Trials - Novice
I would also like to take her to a few local jumper shows. I sort of feel like I should do the Rebecca Howard clinic instead of Great Vista, since not only would it be AWESOME to clinic with her, but Frazier is also literally down the road from where Dee will be living. We'll see!
So, summer schedule (maybe):
May 19: Take Dee back to CT!
June 12: Larkin Hill Horse Trials - Intro division
June 18: Rebecca Howard Clinic at Frazier Farm
OR
June 19: Great Vista Farm Horse Trials - Beginner Novice
July 9-10: Old Chatham Horse Trials - Beginner Novice
July 17: Riga Meadow Horse Trials - Novice
I would also like to take her to a few local jumper shows. I sort of feel like I should do the Rebecca Howard clinic instead of Great Vista, since not only would it be AWESOME to clinic with her, but Frazier is also literally down the road from where Dee will be living. We'll see!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Graduation!
Saturday marked my graduation from Post! It's great to be finished, and even nicer to know that I finished in the top 4% of my class. I'll probably post some pictures when I get around to actually uploading them.
Sunday I took a trip to King Oak, to drop off Dee's regumate. It was great to see everyone! Steph had an awesome day with Merc, who looked pretty great on cross-country, and I even caught a glimpse of miss Sitka, who looks wonderful as always.
Sunday I took a trip to King Oak, to drop off Dee's regumate. It was great to see everyone! Steph had an awesome day with Merc, who looked pretty great on cross-country, and I even caught a glimpse of miss Sitka, who looks wonderful as always.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
30 Day Book Challenge: Day 30
Day 30: Favorite coffee table book
The Finger: A Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off
The Finger: A Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off
Friday, May 6, 2011
30 day Book Challenge: Day 29
Day 29: Book you’re currently reading
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago - Hape Kerkeling
" Overweight, overworked, and disenchanted, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make the arduous pilgrimage across the Pyrenees to the Spanish shrine of St. James, a 1,200-year-old journey undertaken by nearly 100,000 people every year. But he decided to get off the couch and do it anyway. Lonely and searching for meaning along the way, he began the journal that turned into this utterly frank, engaging book. Filled with unforgettable characters, historic landscapes, and Kerkeling's self-deprecating humor, I'm Off Then is an inspiring travelogue, a publishing phenomenon, and a spiritual journey unlike any other."
A 500 mile walk through northern Spain? It sounds fantastic!
Kerkeling is absolutely hilarious, and while there are a few translation mishaps (it was originally written in German), it is an absolutely WONDERFUL book!
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago - Hape Kerkeling
" Overweight, overworked, and disenchanted, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make the arduous pilgrimage across the Pyrenees to the Spanish shrine of St. James, a 1,200-year-old journey undertaken by nearly 100,000 people every year. But he decided to get off the couch and do it anyway. Lonely and searching for meaning along the way, he began the journal that turned into this utterly frank, engaging book. Filled with unforgettable characters, historic landscapes, and Kerkeling's self-deprecating humor, I'm Off Then is an inspiring travelogue, a publishing phenomenon, and a spiritual journey unlike any other."
A 500 mile walk through northern Spain? It sounds fantastic!
Kerkeling is absolutely hilarious, and while there are a few translation mishaps (it was originally written in German), it is an absolutely WONDERFUL book!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
30 day Book Challenge: Day 28
Day 28: Last book you read
Eating the Dinosaur - Chuck Klosterman
Decription from amazon:
" Q: What is this book about?
A: Well, that's difficult to say. I haven't read it yet - I've just clicked on it and casually glanced at this webpage. There clearly isn't a plot. I've heard there's a lot of stuff about time travel in this book, and quite a bit about violence and Garth Brooks and why Germans don't laugh when they're inside grocery stores. Ralph Nader and Ralph Sampson play significant roles. I think there are several pages about Rear Window and football and Mad Men and why Rivers Cuomo prefers having sex with Asian women. Supposedly there's a chapter outlining all the things the Unabomber was right about, but perhaps I'm misinformed.
Q: Is there a larger theme?
A: Oh, something about reality. "What is reality," maybe? No, that's not it. Not exactly. I get the sense that most of the core questions dwell on the way media perception constructs a fake reality that ends up becoming more meaningful than whatever actually happened.
Q: Should I read this book?
A: Probably. Do you see a clear relationship between the Branch Davidian disaster and the recording of Nirvana's In Utero? Does Barack Obama make you want to drink Pepsi? Does ABBA remind you of AC/DC? If so, you probably don't need to read this book. You probably wrote this book. But I suspect everybody else will totally love it, except for the ones who absolutely hate it."
Eating the Dinosaur - Chuck Klosterman
Decription from amazon:
" Q: What is this book about?
A: Well, that's difficult to say. I haven't read it yet - I've just clicked on it and casually glanced at this webpage. There clearly isn't a plot. I've heard there's a lot of stuff about time travel in this book, and quite a bit about violence and Garth Brooks and why Germans don't laugh when they're inside grocery stores. Ralph Nader and Ralph Sampson play significant roles. I think there are several pages about Rear Window and football and Mad Men and why Rivers Cuomo prefers having sex with Asian women. Supposedly there's a chapter outlining all the things the Unabomber was right about, but perhaps I'm misinformed.
Q: Is there a larger theme?
A: Oh, something about reality. "What is reality," maybe? No, that's not it. Not exactly. I get the sense that most of the core questions dwell on the way media perception constructs a fake reality that ends up becoming more meaningful than whatever actually happened.
Q: Should I read this book?
A: Probably. Do you see a clear relationship between the Branch Davidian disaster and the recording of Nirvana's In Utero? Does Barack Obama make you want to drink Pepsi? Does ABBA remind you of AC/DC? If so, you probably don't need to read this book. You probably wrote this book. But I suspect everybody else will totally love it, except for the ones who absolutely hate it."
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Regumate
I hemmed and hawed about whether or not to put Dee on Regumate. After talking to the vet and stephie, and knowing that Bettina has suggested it for mares, I decided that it is worth a try. Mostly, I think it's worth a try because I think that she is genuinely uncomfortable when she's in heat, and I don't want her to be uncomfortable. If I can find something that makes her feel better physically when she's in heat, then I'm willing to give it a go. I've never had or ridden a mare that has such strong heats before. I never knew when Dusty or Sitka were in heat because they never acted any different. Dusty was always a little bit hot and crazy, and Sitka was always cranky if I rode her before breakfast (the ONLY times she was cranky, in fact! She loved her breakfast!)
Dr. S said that she should be able to get me the regumate by friday, so the plan is to pick it up on Friday and then drive it to King Oak (where Steph will be) on Sunday.
More exciting than all of this? I'm GRADUATING ON SATURDAY! FINALLY!!
Dr. S said that she should be able to get me the regumate by friday, so the plan is to pick it up on Friday and then drive it to King Oak (where Steph will be) on Sunday.
More exciting than all of this? I'm GRADUATING ON SATURDAY! FINALLY!!
30 day Book Challenge: Day 27
Day 27: Favorite fiction book
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
Not too much more to say, since I already posted this book!
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
Not too much more to say, since I already posted this book!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
30 Day Book Challenge: Day 26
Day 26: Favorite nonfiction book
Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages - J. Maarten Troost
I feel fine putting both because they sort of go together.
Sex Lives of Cannibals: " The Sex Lives of Cannibals tells the hilarious story of what happens when Troost discovers that Tarawa is not the island paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles through relentless, stifling heat, a variety of deadly bacteria, polluted seas, toxic fish—all in a country where the only music to be heard for miles around is “La Macarena.” He and his stalwart girlfriend Sylvia spend the next two years battling incompetent government officials, alarmingly large critters, erratic electricity, and a paucity of food options (including the Great Beer Crisis); and contending with a bizarre cast of local characters, including “Half-Dead Fred” and the self-proclaimed Poet Laureate of Tarawa (a British drunkard who’s never written a poem in his life)."
Getting Stoned With Savages: " Getting Stoned with Savages tells the hilarious story of Troost’s time on Vanuatu—a rugged cluster of islands where the natives gorge themselves on kava and are still known to “eat the man.” Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes and soon finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders. When Sylvia gets pregnant, they decamp for slightly-more-civilized Fiji, a
fallen paradise where the local chiefs can be found watching rugby in the house next door. And as they contend with new parenthood in a country rife with prostitutes and government coups, their son begins to take quite naturally to island living—in complete contrast to his dad."
Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages - J. Maarten Troost
I feel fine putting both because they sort of go together.
Sex Lives of Cannibals: " The Sex Lives of Cannibals tells the hilarious story of what happens when Troost discovers that Tarawa is not the island paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles through relentless, stifling heat, a variety of deadly bacteria, polluted seas, toxic fish—all in a country where the only music to be heard for miles around is “La Macarena.” He and his stalwart girlfriend Sylvia spend the next two years battling incompetent government officials, alarmingly large critters, erratic electricity, and a paucity of food options (including the Great Beer Crisis); and contending with a bizarre cast of local characters, including “Half-Dead Fred” and the self-proclaimed Poet Laureate of Tarawa (a British drunkard who’s never written a poem in his life)."
Getting Stoned With Savages: " Getting Stoned with Savages tells the hilarious story of Troost’s time on Vanuatu—a rugged cluster of islands where the natives gorge themselves on kava and are still known to “eat the man.” Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes and soon finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders. When Sylvia gets pregnant, they decamp for slightly-more-civilized Fiji, a
fallen paradise where the local chiefs can be found watching rugby in the house next door. And as they contend with new parenthood in a country rife with prostitutes and government coups, their son begins to take quite naturally to island living—in complete contrast to his dad."
Monday, May 2, 2011
30 Day Book Challenge: Day 25
Day 25: Favorite book you read in school
The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby had once loved beautiful, spoiled Daisy Buchanan, then lost her to a rich boy. Now, mysteriously wealthy, he is ready to risk everything to woo her back.
The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby had once loved beautiful, spoiled Daisy Buchanan, then lost her to a rich boy. Now, mysteriously wealthy, he is ready to risk everything to woo her back.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
30 Day Book Challenge: Day 24
Day 24: Book that contains your favorite scene
Lost on Planet China - J. Maarten Troost
" The bestselling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained"
My favorite scene is the last of the book.
Lost on Planet China - J. Maarten Troost
" The bestselling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained"
My favorite scene is the last of the book.
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