Doing Well

Dee is doing really well. I got a quick update from L, and apparently she and H are getting along splendidly and plan to start jump lessons together soon. Apparently, H went along with L for her jump lesson, watched the whole thing and said "Dee can do this!" Of COURSE she can! I think the two of them will have a blast together, because if there's one thing maresy-poo is great at, it's jumping.

I'm not sure where October's gone, but before I know it, I'll be home for the holidays, and will hopefully get to visit Dee!

ps. I just so happen to be watching Good Morning America right now. Did anyone else hear about what happened in Ohio? With all of the animals escaping from the preserve? I am so disturbed that they killed all of those poor animals who were just terrified and acting on instincts. Eighteen Bengal tigers were murdered. That kind of carnage just seems excessive. So sad.

"Aime-moi moins, mais aime-moi longtemps."

Roughly... "Love me less, but love me a long time"

It's the last line from Les Chansons D'Amour... a fantastic movie that you should see if you get the chance.

(well, only if you like French musicals)

It could be worse...

...I could be on fire.

That's what I tell myself when ever I start getting stressed out or things get tough. It kinda puts things into perspective, because hey... I may be swamped with reading, but at least I'm not on fire. That's something, at least!

Counting Down

I only have about 4 weeks until I leave for Tennessee, and I'm starting to panic because no one seems interested in either leasing or buying Dee baby. I don't actually want to sell her, so I guess I'm glad no one wants to buy her, but I desperately need to find someone interested in a free lease. I mean, she's such a good girl now! Who wouldn't want to play with her for 3 years!? Anyway, I'm not sure who reads this blog, but if anyone reading happens to know anyone who might be interested, please please please pass the info along! My e-mail is amy.bergamo@gmail.com, and I'd be happy to address specific details through that (where exactly she's living, my cell # to discuss her further, etc) To be vague, she's currently in Woodbury, CT.

Anyway. We had a fabulous jump school yesterday. We did lots of different gymnastic-esque exercises. One strides galore, a double bounce to a one stride, etc etc. The first time she did the bounce to one stride, we had the out set up as a little cross rail. Well, that's not very challenging, mom! So I'm just going to flatten out and skid over the top of it, dragging my toes and not even bothering to acknowledge that it's there. Solution? Crank up the height. With the bigger vertical, she actually bothered to look and balance and jump nicely. I have to say, when the fences get higher, she's got a big, fun jump to her. It sort of reminds me of Tango, but a little less of the back-cracking, jump you totally out of the tack style that he did so well. With her, you can feel the power, and it is a big effort, but I don't feel like I need to hang on for dear life like I did a lot of the time with Tango. She's a bit more comfortable in that department. The only downer of the day was that by the end of the school, my back was so exhausted that over the last combination, the most I could do was bury my hands in her mane to keep myself propped up. I mean, we did do a lot of jumping, but it was still frustrating.

On the flat work front, she's been doing fairly well. The canter work has been especially promising. These days, she's actually been coming up in front and carrying herself a bit instead of trying to pile drive her withers into the dirt. Can she hold it for long? No. She can make one trip around the whole arena, and maybe a circle afterward before she starts falling forward. But it's progress! I can only assume as she gets stronger that will get easier.

On the not-my-horse front, we got two new stallions in at B's this week. They are drop-dead gorgeous. I also had my first solo baby handling yesterday, and he was a very good little guy. I was especially impressed since as I was moving him from one pasture to another, I had Rascal screaming and freaking out that I was taking his baby friend away and I had the new stallions inside sqwaking about who knows what. He didn't even bat a little eyelash at the commotion... just ambled along to the other paddock. Very cute.

Ok, now that it's raining, I suppose I should get away from the computer and go ride before it starts really pouring.

Jump Jump

I finally jumped Dee a little bit on Friday! The jumps were little, but Dee was lovely and took care of her momma's bad back. There was no leaping and no scooting off or landing in a heap. I don't know if I'll get her to any events this summer, but you know what? I'm not sure I care at this point. I'm enjoying my girl, and that's enough. I WOULD like to find a dressage show to take her to, though. I'll have to talk to B and see if she has any nearby suggestions.
In other news, I took a self defense class on Saturday. It was super fun and good stuff to know. The company is called East Coast Training Systems, and they pair with Jane Doe No More to put on an Escape Alive program. I think all women should take a class like this at some point.
Considering that the class took all day, I didn't get a chance to ride my girl, and yesterday I was BEYOND sore. To the point of not being able to swallow without the muscles in my mouth hurting. Needless to say, yesterday was spent hobbling around the house. Well worth it, though!

Spa Day

Today, Dee will have a MUCH needed spa day. She looks like a shaggy mess these days, because she hates having her mane pulled so much that I finally stopped trying. So I'm going to take advantage of the fact that she's getting tranqs from the dentist today to fix her terrible mane.

Yeah... I know. Long, unkempt mane.


She loves having just a stall chain!

A New Plan

Dee is rapidly approaching the end of her stay in the correctional facility, and while I had initially wanted to send her to Florida, I've decided on a different course of action. Stephie leaves for Florida sooner than I'd anticipated (the 30th), and I just don't think I can get all of our affairs in order by then (ie - a health certificate, all of the packing, shipping arranged, etc). PLUS, it's just a lot of money to spend. Enter our alternative: Steph suggested that I wait until she gets back from Florida, and then send Dee to Massachusetts to learn the jumping ropes. It's certainly the cheaper option, and she's still getting taught by Steph! PLUS, it will be MUCH easier to visit! The problem? Steph doesn't get back until around March 16 or 17, and Dee finishes her current training on Feb 1st. That means that I had to scramble around to find an indoor (She CANNOT have 6 weeks off because of bad footing after I just spent all that money getting her into a program!) that we could stay until she leaves for Florida.
Thankfully, B knew of someone who could use some help, and that woman is willing to trade work for money off of board! The best part? The facility is BEAUTIFUL. The indoor is huge, there is a heated wash stall, the tack room is to die for, and the bathroom is nicer than the one i my house. Plus, I know Dee will be happy to get back to turn-out again!

I'm going up to see her today. When scheduling with Garry yesterday, he told me that he got on her (he was in FL for 2 weeks) Tuesday, and thought she felt awesome! Nice to hear!

LSATs are FINALLY OVER! In three weeks I will get my scores, so until then I won't know if I'm done with the LSAT forever or just for now. Here's to hoping I got a good score so it will be forever!

pictures!

These were taken on 9/15...


Such an attractive face she's making...







Neck Shot, 9/26:


Freshly Pulled mane, 9/26:




Around the Farm, 9/26:




And this one is from today, at Lyman's Orchard in Middlefield. We were sitting on the hill near this couple, and my friend snapped the shot when we got to the car because they were SO adorable, sitting there, reading a book together...

Clearing out the Scruff

I've been completely engrossed in studying for the LSATS, so my time spent in the barn has been minimal. We've done some lounging, and she's been very good. Yesterday, I gave her a little mini-spa day. She's not very good about getting her mane pulled, but I decided to give it a go. True to form, she acted like a total cow at first. I then tried the twitch, which also went as badly as usual. HOWEVER, when I took the twitch OFF, I tried to pull her mane ONE more time. Maybe the twitch made an impression, because she actually stood very nicely for me while I pulled her entire mane. (Well, very nicely in Dee terms... she's ALWAYS sort of fidgety). I used the system of pulling a small piece and then telling her how absolutely wonderful she is (which she loves to hear). Once we finished I gave her cookies and grass. All in all? It was a great day and Deer Run Spa!
I have a few pictures, which I will update with later.

Behavior

Since my last post, I've ridden twice. The first time could be considered a mild disaster, but also a minor breakthrough (maybe?). We started out well enough, but after a few figure eights, the resistance o the right began to escalate. At first, she was just a little bit stiff, but as I continued, she was more and more resistant.
Of course, the more she pushed into my right leg, the more I kicked back in response, but the more I kicked back, the less responsive she became. It was incredibly frustrating, and as I got increasingly frustrated, she just continued to fight me and act up. Finally, I was so frustrated and upset that I got off for a few minutes. I think that we both needed the break.
When I got back on, I tried a different tactic. Instead of fighting, I just sort of ignored the bad behavior and quietly rode through it. Magically, the more I just overlooked the behavior, the less of the bad behavior I saw. She actually became quite lovely by the end of the ride, so I took her out for a little mini-hack down the driveway to cool her down. This was the first time that we got all the way down the driveway, and she was a VERY good girl. At the point where the driveway crosses the river and a tree line (after you cross the river you can't see the barn or house anymore), she had a very minor tantrum about leaving her friends. For about a minute she was backing up and trying to turn around, but after a few failed attempts and some convincing from my end, she just marched on to a symphony of "Good girl!" I felt like a broken record, but the more I told her how wonderful she was, the more willing she seemed to keep going. I'll gladly look like a lunatic to passers-by if it makes mare happy!
The second time I rode, I once again employed the less-is-more technique of trying to overlook her shenanagins. Once again, the shenanagins disappeared when she couldn't get a rise out of me. What a cheeky minx. However, I shouldn't be surprised, considering Dusty was much the same. Overall, that was a very good ride. I did have one VERY odd moment, though. We were trotting along, she was being lovely, and then she did the most awkward, almost slow-motion little buck that I've ever seen. Then, she broke into a slow SLOW canter, did another REALLY slow little buck, and went right back to trotting around nicely. I have no idea where that came from. I can only guess that she had a horsefly on her or something, because slow, small bucks are NOT her m.o.











Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep - "Asleep" The Smiths

"And then the rains came. They came down from the hills and up from the sound."

Well, my plans to ride yesterday got washed out with the much-needed rain and thunder storm we had. I suppose it won't kill her.










Day 09 - A song that you can dance to - "Harder Better Faster Stronger" Daft Punk
And we did, in moustaches!

That mare is a monster....

I'm not sure if it's the time off or the never-ending heat wave, but Dee has been a bit of a monster this week. Thursday she was pretty good, with a significant drop in the spooking, broncing and bolting that she had been engaging in the day before. Friday, she was an absolute horror. I rode early, before work, with plans to only ride for a half-hour. It was incredibly hot and humid, even that early, and I didn't want to make her work hard. Well, she came out breathing fire and fought with me for the entire ride. Every inch or the ring had something to spook at, canter transitions were invitations to explode, every few minutes in the trot work, she was trying to take off or be naughty... it was just a disaster. I ended up working her for a solid hour without ever really accomplishing anything other than a halfway decent canter circle (meaning she wasn't leaping, squealing or spooking for one circle) in each direction. It was incredibly discouraging, but I honestly don't think the behavior was caused by any sort of discomfort in her body, because when she settled a little, her gaits felt fantastic. She's completely lost that stiffness, but it seems to have been replaced by feeling TOO good.
Yesterday, I almost gave her the day off, but decided that I needed to see how she felt. I once again was aiming to only do a short ride and thankfully, we accomplished that goal. She was much better, only spooking once and not acting like a wild beast in her canter transitions. She did feel a little free behind in the canter work, and a little hump-backed, but she held it together. I'm going to give her the day off today, and then it's back to work tomorrow!

Day 08 - A song that you know all the words to -
"Coin Operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls

Baby Dee!

I was given this photo when I bought Dee. How cute is she!?

Day 07 - A song that reminds you of a certain event -
"Baby's on Fire" by Venus in Furs with vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
New Years in Boston, 2004

Oh Cheeky Cheeky...

Oh Naughty Sneaky...

After far too long out of the saddle, I was finally able to get back on Dee today. She was a cheeky little minx - spooking, bolting, broncing - but when she decided to behave, she felt great. All of that stiffness behind has disappeared, she was bending better in both directions and that mopey, grumpy attitude was gone. Instead, I had a four year old who had too much energy and not quite enough self-restraint to behave herself the whole time.

I'm hoping that tomorrow she'll be a little less wild. She certainly got out a lot of pent-up naughtiness today, so I suppose it can only improve from here. It was great to be back on her, even if it was a bit of a rodeo ride.



Day 06 - A song that reminds of you of somewhere -
"There's No Business Like Show Business" sung by Ethel Merman

My friend and I used to go to a LOT of Mindless Self Indulgence concerts, and they played this song several times after the show finished. Now, when I hear it, I think of those shows.

Doxy!

Dee started her Doxy Tuesday evening, which means I can get on her again come Wednesday! Yay! Dr. S seemed to think that we caught it early enough, so that a 3 week course should be good. I'm hoping she's right and that I'll get on a fresh, bucking bronco on wednesday who just feels SO HAPPY that she wants to leap and play. I would definitely rather get on THAT than get on to find her grumpy and mopey like she'd been. It just depresses me to ride a horse that seems to hate her job. So... here's to hoping for a wild ride next week!


Day 04 - A song that makes you sad -

"Signs" by Bloc Party



This song is just impossibly beautiful. Here are the lyrics:
Two ravens in the old oak tree and
One for you and one for me and
Bluebells in the late December
I see signs now all the time

The last time we slept together
There was something that was not there
You never wanted to alarm me
But I'm the one that's drowning now

I could sleep forever these days
Because in my dreams I see you again
But this time fleshed out, fuller faced
In your confirmation dress

It was so like you to visit me
To let me know you were ok
It was so like you to visit me
You always worried about someone else

At your funeral I was so upset
So upset, so upset
In your life you were larger than this
Statue-statuesque

I see signs now all the time
That you're not dead, you're sleeping
I believe in anything
That brings you back home to me

I see signs now all the time
That you're not dead, you're sleeping
I believe in anything
That brings you back home to me

Hot Hot Heat

We seem to have wandered into a mega heat wave. Forecast for today? 100+ and that's just the regular temperature, not counting humidity. It sort of makes me glad that Dee is on vacation... ponies shouldn't have to work in this sort of weather!

Day 03 - A song that makes you happy - "Doing The Unstuck" The Cure
it's a perfect day for kiss and swell
for rip-zipping button-popping kiss and well...
there's loads of other stuff can make you yell
let's get happy!

how can a song with lyrics like that NOT make you happy?

acidophilus

So, I was speaking with bettina about Dee's lyme, and we got onto the subject of probiotics. I've generally just used ProBios, but she suggested a few other possible solutions:
E-Biotic - A shake-on probiotic that, if I did my calculations correctly, would last for a few months.

Yogurt (!) Now, this is an interesting concept and might be worth looking into, but last time I checked, Yogurt wasn't cheap. I buy greek yogurt for myself all the time, and I'll tell you, its a bit pricey. So, while this might work, I don't think I want to spend huge amounts of money on a probiotic when I'll already be spending huge sums on all the doxy Dee will need.

An acidophilus supplement from the health food store. These actually seem to be fairly cheap, but cracking open a capsule every day would be a hassle.

Just food for thought.

Day 02 - Your least favourite song -

"I want it That Way" by The Backstreet Boys

My neighbors used to blast this song at full volume on repeat all summer long... ugh.

Happy 4th!

So, last night, I completely forgot to grab my mail. I grabbed it this morning and found a little envelope from the vet. Well... Happy 4th of July, your horse has Lyme! She came up positive and strong positive on both tests. Joy. I'll be calling the vet monday to discuss treatment and figure out how much longer I'll need to give her off. When Kess was diagnosed, he was also injured, so he got time off anyway. Tango was completely lame when he was diagnosed, so he also got lots of time off. Therefore, I'm not completely sure of protocol when the horse isn't totally broken. I guess I just wait until she's being treated and feels better?

So, I guess since I may not be in the saddle for a little longer, I'll do this 30 Day Song Challenge thing to keep me occupied.


30 Day song challenge


Day 01 - Your favourite song

"The Kiss" by The Cure
I just find this song to be incredibly powerful and beautiful. When I went to see the Cure at Madison Square Garden, I was hoping and praying that they would play it, and they did! It was one of the greatest concert moments of my life.

FAIL

I haven't updated, mostly because I have nothing to update about. After our disastrous ride on the 16th, I gave Dee the weekend off hoping she would sort herself out a little and be fresh and happy on monday. TOTAL FAIL. She felt awful once again. Usually, with 4 days off, she would be bright and playful. Instead, she was grumpy and sluggish, totally behind the leg, focused on everything but me, grunting and squealing at the leg, stiff as a 2x4 and about as responsive. She just seemed... miserable. She usually enjoys working, but she was acting like it was the worst thing in the world. So, I called the vet about a lyme titer, just to check. I mean, I suppose it could be this lingering heat, but I want to cover all my bases. She's on vacation until I get the results back, which should be any day now - the vet came on Thursday.
Fingers crossed that it was just silly hormones, since she seems to be less mare-ish to handle this week.