Gee, it's been quite some time since I've updated.
Suzie moved to Maryland a few weeks after my last post, and I was barnless for at least a month, maybe more. During that time I went on trail rides with some of my friends and rode my other friend's horse, but other than that I wasn't riding much. I found a barn to work at, but I didn't end up liking it very much. A few weeks later I went to check out my friend's old barn, and I love it there. I've been riding a little chestnut gelding named Dar, and he's got lots of personality. We're working on getting him to relax his back, lengthen his stride, and bending. He's excellent to the left, but is alot stiffer and harder to keep out on the rail to the right. He's gotten quite a bit better since the first time I rode him, and I have so much fun on him.
In my lesson on Sunday we did a small jump course, starting with little cross rails and then moving up to small verticals, around 2'3"ish. Despite being a little rusty, I felt good once we got going. I need to work a bit on seeing my distances and not going up into my two point until I feel the horse start to take off. Marina invited me to do their jumper show on the 22nd, and I'm definitely considering it. It will depend on what time of day they start, as I have volleyball on Sunday mornings.
So despite not being able to ride with any of my old barn friends anymore, I'm still enjoying myself, and I think I'll fit in just fine at the new barn. I still get to see all my old friends, too. Becky and I are headed down to Hannah's on Friday for the night, and we might do a little photo shoot with Rudy. Oh, and Suzie promised to send me a picture of Justin in his lesson this week.
Which reminds me, my lovely baby boy has found a new home. A boy in Maryland bought him from Suzie a few weeks ago, and Justin is going to be a fox hunter now! They're going to truck him over for weekly lessons, but otherwise Jman will be living happily on a big farm with three other horses. The best part is, I might be able to ride him this summer during camp because his new owner goes to camp for the summer and wants to keep Justin in work.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Success!
Pipestave was this past weekend, and we had lots of fun. At least me and Justin did. We went down to the barn early on Saturday, and rode our dressage tests in the indoor. It was quite possibly the best dressage test Justin has ever and will ever complete. We spent the rest of the day cleaning the horses up and finishing the barn. After dinner we went out and braided their manes. Two hours and eighteen braids later, we put on their sheets and went to bed.
We were up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was still dark out when we got up. We went out to the back barn to check and see if the braids were still in, and then fed everyone. Then we put all of our horses out that weren't coming to the show, and wrapped Quinny and Jasmine's legs. We put shipping boots on Justin and brought them all out to the trailer. Everyone loaded up fine and we were on our way to the show. It took about an hour and a half to get there, so we tacked up and started warming up immediately. We had just enough time to walk, trot, and canter before I was called in for dressage. The test was decent, Justin was cross cantering when we first picked up the left lead, but I brought him back and fixed the issue. It was a good test for Justin, and everything was as accurate as possible. We were in last after dressage with a 49, but not by too far. The riders in our split of the division were very competitive.
Next was cross country, our favorite part. Suzie and I ended up running half of the course walk because we needed to be back in time for Kenzie's dressage. There was nothing overly scary, although most of the course was uphill. The warm-up ring was a little crazy, people were standing in the corners while you were trying to approach one of the three warm up fences, and almost running into you. Justin was over jumping everything, and was very excited in general. We settled into a pretty good rhythm once we were on the course, and the only thing he spooked at was the people at the top of the hill. We went clean cross country, and in pretty good time.
We took a little break before stadium and sponged the horses off a little bit. Suzie also went clear, Kenz fell off before the first fence. Those jump judges are actually pony eating monsters, in case you didn't know. Stadium warm up was equally as crazy, but Justin was jumping a little better. We entered, stopped, saluted the judge, and off we went. For the first time ever in his short career as a jumper, Justin went clean! There were no rails down, no rubs, nothing. I was so proud of him, I didn't even care that we had been in last after dressage.
We ended in sixth out of nine people, which isn't bad at all for our first event. I don't think anyone was eliminated in my division, either. Suzie got fifth after having one rail down stadium. Kenz was eliminated due to her fall cross country and another fall stadium. We packed up and headed home, and J-man got several apples for his excellent behavior. You can see the videos of our dressage, stadium, and part of cross country if you search Justin Pipestave on youtube. I think they'll all show up.
We were up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was still dark out when we got up. We went out to the back barn to check and see if the braids were still in, and then fed everyone. Then we put all of our horses out that weren't coming to the show, and wrapped Quinny and Jasmine's legs. We put shipping boots on Justin and brought them all out to the trailer. Everyone loaded up fine and we were on our way to the show. It took about an hour and a half to get there, so we tacked up and started warming up immediately. We had just enough time to walk, trot, and canter before I was called in for dressage. The test was decent, Justin was cross cantering when we first picked up the left lead, but I brought him back and fixed the issue. It was a good test for Justin, and everything was as accurate as possible. We were in last after dressage with a 49, but not by too far. The riders in our split of the division were very competitive.
Next was cross country, our favorite part. Suzie and I ended up running half of the course walk because we needed to be back in time for Kenzie's dressage. There was nothing overly scary, although most of the course was uphill. The warm-up ring was a little crazy, people were standing in the corners while you were trying to approach one of the three warm up fences, and almost running into you. Justin was over jumping everything, and was very excited in general. We settled into a pretty good rhythm once we were on the course, and the only thing he spooked at was the people at the top of the hill. We went clean cross country, and in pretty good time.
We took a little break before stadium and sponged the horses off a little bit. Suzie also went clear, Kenz fell off before the first fence. Those jump judges are actually pony eating monsters, in case you didn't know. Stadium warm up was equally as crazy, but Justin was jumping a little better. We entered, stopped, saluted the judge, and off we went. For the first time ever in his short career as a jumper, Justin went clean! There were no rails down, no rubs, nothing. I was so proud of him, I didn't even care that we had been in last after dressage.
We ended in sixth out of nine people, which isn't bad at all for our first event. I don't think anyone was eliminated in my division, either. Suzie got fifth after having one rail down stadium. Kenz was eliminated due to her fall cross country and another fall stadium. We packed up and headed home, and J-man got several apples for his excellent behavior. You can see the videos of our dressage, stadium, and part of cross country if you search Justin Pipestave on youtube. I think they'll all show up.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Kenz and I went down to the barn on Saturday, and it poured. We met with Suzie at Mack Hill, and drove down to Wildwood with her. It was raining lightly when we tacked up for the dressage portion of our lesson, but nothing major. The real rain was coming later.
We tacked up as soon as we got to the barn, me on Justin, Kenz on Quinn, and Abby on Cimmy. We were going to start with the Beginner Novice B dressage test, despite the fact that neither me or Kenz could remember it that well. Justin was rejecting any form of contact, so our main goal was accuracy. The test went well, and was one of the better tests we've done so far. We finished the test, and the right lead canter was a bit better than the left. He had a nice straight halt, and our centerlines are getting pretty good. I need to work a bit more on sitting through the downward transitions and perching a little less.
Kenz and Quinn did well, Quinn's contact is coming along really well. His canter transitions were better on Saturday, he had a few really nice ones. The accuracy wasn't as great, but the test looked alot nicer than last week. We might still have a chance at Pipestave.
Abby ended up doing a shortened version of the test because she and Cimmy still need to work on their canter transitions and cantering in general. They just did the test minus the canter circles, and they did pretty well. The concept of dressage is new to Abby, and she's doing a great job.
After the dressage tests were finished, we worked a bit on Justin's left lead, and then brought the horses in to untack and let them relax for a little bit while we set up a little cross country course around the trails. Of course, as we're carrying muck buckets out the the trail, it begins to down pour. However, we still opted to set up our course despite the weather. We used a large puddle as a water complex, with a barrel jump on the out, and then you went up the hill to a birch jump. From there, it was a short distance to a log jump and some hay bales. They you went out to the trails and jumped a log that we rested on two large rocks, then you went all the way up to the muck bucket jump up the hill. The rest was all trail with no more jumps, with the exception of another "water complex" which was really just a large puddle.
Kenz went first, and Quinn jumped the barrels the second time through the water. After they landed off the birch jump he spun and Kenz came off. She hopped right back on and continued on the course. However, she did not realize that we weren't supposed to go all the way around the corn fields, and took ages to get back. We all figured that she had fallen off again, so Suzie sent me out before she got back. Turns out that she had gone around the cornfields, and ran into some geese, turkeys, and deer in the process.
Then it was my turn. Justin, being the good boy that he is, jumped everything on the first try. I hadn't realized how far off to the left of the trail the much buckets were, and I had no crop, so when Justin started to run out, it was hard to stop him. He did jump it, despite annihilating the log on top of it. We then cantered most of the way back, including through the deep puddle. We had to trot down the side of the rocky trail, and walked at some points because it was pretty slick, but overall we had a good time. I think cross country isn't really going to be an issue for Justin.
I'm definitely excited for Pipestave. Things are looking good, and ride times will be up this Friday. Our lesson is on Sunday this week, so I'll have more updates for you then.
We tacked up as soon as we got to the barn, me on Justin, Kenz on Quinn, and Abby on Cimmy. We were going to start with the Beginner Novice B dressage test, despite the fact that neither me or Kenz could remember it that well. Justin was rejecting any form of contact, so our main goal was accuracy. The test went well, and was one of the better tests we've done so far. We finished the test, and the right lead canter was a bit better than the left. He had a nice straight halt, and our centerlines are getting pretty good. I need to work a bit more on sitting through the downward transitions and perching a little less.
Kenz and Quinn did well, Quinn's contact is coming along really well. His canter transitions were better on Saturday, he had a few really nice ones. The accuracy wasn't as great, but the test looked alot nicer than last week. We might still have a chance at Pipestave.
Abby ended up doing a shortened version of the test because she and Cimmy still need to work on their canter transitions and cantering in general. They just did the test minus the canter circles, and they did pretty well. The concept of dressage is new to Abby, and she's doing a great job.
After the dressage tests were finished, we worked a bit on Justin's left lead, and then brought the horses in to untack and let them relax for a little bit while we set up a little cross country course around the trails. Of course, as we're carrying muck buckets out the the trail, it begins to down pour. However, we still opted to set up our course despite the weather. We used a large puddle as a water complex, with a barrel jump on the out, and then you went up the hill to a birch jump. From there, it was a short distance to a log jump and some hay bales. They you went out to the trails and jumped a log that we rested on two large rocks, then you went all the way up to the muck bucket jump up the hill. The rest was all trail with no more jumps, with the exception of another "water complex" which was really just a large puddle.
Kenz went first, and Quinn jumped the barrels the second time through the water. After they landed off the birch jump he spun and Kenz came off. She hopped right back on and continued on the course. However, she did not realize that we weren't supposed to go all the way around the corn fields, and took ages to get back. We all figured that she had fallen off again, so Suzie sent me out before she got back. Turns out that she had gone around the cornfields, and ran into some geese, turkeys, and deer in the process.
Then it was my turn. Justin, being the good boy that he is, jumped everything on the first try. I hadn't realized how far off to the left of the trail the much buckets were, and I had no crop, so when Justin started to run out, it was hard to stop him. He did jump it, despite annihilating the log on top of it. We then cantered most of the way back, including through the deep puddle. We had to trot down the side of the rocky trail, and walked at some points because it was pretty slick, but overall we had a good time. I think cross country isn't really going to be an issue for Justin.
I'm definitely excited for Pipestave. Things are looking good, and ride times will be up this Friday. Our lesson is on Sunday this week, so I'll have more updates for you then.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Update?
Well, it's been a long time since I've updated. We're definitely going to Pipestave, so there's lots of practicing to be done. I guess I'll start with last weekend.
Me and Kenz came down on Saturday morning, and helped Suzie finish up the chores in the back barn. Then we set up a jump course, one of my favorites so far, and started to get our horses ready. Kenz still wasn't down to the ring by the time I was on and warming up, and after I had time to warm up at the trot both directions, we were a little curious as to where Kenzie was. Turned out that she fell off. Typical Kenz, got on bareback to ride Quinn to the barn, and fell off when he spooked. I still did the jump course while she iced her leg.
I've been having major issues with my position lately. My leg is solid, but due to a sore back, I have a really hard time getting my shoulders back and keeping them there. I have to constantly think about it, and then other parts of my riding suffer. I'm still working on getting horses on contact, because when I was first taught, I was taught incorrectly. Then I rode Panzer, who just didn't go on contact. At seventeen, we didn't want to bother working on contact until he could trot around the outdoor sanely. But that's a story for another day.
This past Saturday, I rode Buzz instead of Justin because someone that was interested in Justin came to ride him. She liked him alot, but her father seemed skeptical about them getting a horse, and about Justin's age. Buzz was fun, he's definitely come a long way from the last time I rode him. I had a rough time getting him to bend to the right, but the left was pretty nice once we got going. After we did our dressage tests, me and Kenz went out on the trail and for a nice gallop around the corn fields. Race horses are so fun.
One thing that really made me feel good was that Suzie told me that a true testiment to the work I've done with Justin is that he didn't buck, turn his butt in, or crow hop once the entire time the person rode him. He really has come a long way.
Me and Kenz came down on Saturday morning, and helped Suzie finish up the chores in the back barn. Then we set up a jump course, one of my favorites so far, and started to get our horses ready. Kenz still wasn't down to the ring by the time I was on and warming up, and after I had time to warm up at the trot both directions, we were a little curious as to where Kenzie was. Turned out that she fell off. Typical Kenz, got on bareback to ride Quinn to the barn, and fell off when he spooked. I still did the jump course while she iced her leg.
I've been having major issues with my position lately. My leg is solid, but due to a sore back, I have a really hard time getting my shoulders back and keeping them there. I have to constantly think about it, and then other parts of my riding suffer. I'm still working on getting horses on contact, because when I was first taught, I was taught incorrectly. Then I rode Panzer, who just didn't go on contact. At seventeen, we didn't want to bother working on contact until he could trot around the outdoor sanely. But that's a story for another day.
This past Saturday, I rode Buzz instead of Justin because someone that was interested in Justin came to ride him. She liked him alot, but her father seemed skeptical about them getting a horse, and about Justin's age. Buzz was fun, he's definitely come a long way from the last time I rode him. I had a rough time getting him to bend to the right, but the left was pretty nice once we got going. After we did our dressage tests, me and Kenz went out on the trail and for a nice gallop around the corn fields. Race horses are so fun.
One thing that really made me feel good was that Suzie told me that a true testiment to the work I've done with Justin is that he didn't buck, turn his butt in, or crow hop once the entire time the person rode him. He really has come a long way.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
It Clicked!
My goodness, we're finally getting it! Today, I am proud to announce, Justin went round, in a frame, and was bending. He looked so fabulous, although he does still get frustrated quite often. Suzie got on him to see if she could get him to to at least slightly round, instead of his typical head-in-the-air way of going. I got back on after she got him going nicely, and we had a nice moment of pleasent trotting. I have a problem with getting horses on contact because I don't know how it feels too ride a horse in a frame. It's quite a bit of work to hold everything together, but boy does he look gorgeous once we get it. We'll make a dressage horse out of him yet!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Blackberries, Anyone?
So no horse show this weekend. Gretchen and her husband were busy haying, and there was no time for them to truck us to the show. Instead we did a trail ride in the morning after barn work was done, and a jumping lesson in the afternoon.
I rode Silver on the trail ride, and we led most of the way. He was a very good boy, not a single spook or any other naughty behavior. Upon our return, Suzie sent me and Kenz out to go pick blackberries for our pancakes for lunch. Unfortunately, blackberry bushes have thorns, and thorns are very painful. We managed to get enough for lunch, and the pancakes were delicious.
We set up a small course in the indoor for our lesson, no rollbacks or anything because Justin and Quinn hadn't jumped in a while. Quinn was having in off day, and looked very sluggish and uninterested, which is very un-Quinn-like. Kenzie was also tired, and opted to do the course the next day. I did it with Justin, and although there wasn't anything graceful about it, we made it over the jumps. I was having a tough time of it, due to lack of sleep and sore muscles from volleyball. We ended up having to do the outside line to the end jump (a tight turn) several times before I got it right. I really need to think more about figuring out where I need to ride to in order to make the next fence.
I rode Silver on the trail ride, and we led most of the way. He was a very good boy, not a single spook or any other naughty behavior. Upon our return, Suzie sent me and Kenz out to go pick blackberries for our pancakes for lunch. Unfortunately, blackberry bushes have thorns, and thorns are very painful. We managed to get enough for lunch, and the pancakes were delicious.
We set up a small course in the indoor for our lesson, no rollbacks or anything because Justin and Quinn hadn't jumped in a while. Quinn was having in off day, and looked very sluggish and uninterested, which is very un-Quinn-like. Kenzie was also tired, and opted to do the course the next day. I did it with Justin, and although there wasn't anything graceful about it, we made it over the jumps. I was having a tough time of it, due to lack of sleep and sore muscles from volleyball. We ended up having to do the outside line to the end jump (a tight turn) several times before I got it right. I really need to think more about figuring out where I need to ride to in order to make the next fence.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Ground Manners? No Way!
Yet again I did not ride today. Hopefully I can get a ride to the barn on Thursday and ride then. I miss doing course work with my lovely pony.
Today I groomed him up really nice, with hoof polish, every single brush in my bag, and a whisker shaver. Shortened up his mane a bit so he wouldn't look like a brood mare, and thinned the top. Then, since we were being very rude about this whole ordeal, I decided to do a bit of ground work. We walked around the ring several times in this manner: walk walk walk, stop, Justin keeps walking, back up, stop, walk walk walk, Justin continues, back up, stop, walk walk walk, stop, and it clicked! He finally stopped, gave me a "good enough?" look, and waited for the cue to continue. I made him yeild his hind quarters away from me in both directions, which he understood the first time he was asked, I didn't even need to touch him with the rope. Cecily tried to pony him on Sunny, and Justin just looked at us like "You're kidding, right? You're going to make me do this?", but he went along with it anyways, and even gave us a little trot. He's such a smart boy.
I've been watching some old videos lately, found one of Justin's second canter under saddle. We made it three times around a twenty meter circle, with two or three small bucks. The sad part is, at that point in time, that was excellent for him. He sure has come a long way!
Today I groomed him up really nice, with hoof polish, every single brush in my bag, and a whisker shaver. Shortened up his mane a bit so he wouldn't look like a brood mare, and thinned the top. Then, since we were being very rude about this whole ordeal, I decided to do a bit of ground work. We walked around the ring several times in this manner: walk walk walk, stop, Justin keeps walking, back up, stop, walk walk walk, Justin continues, back up, stop, walk walk walk, stop, and it clicked! He finally stopped, gave me a "good enough?" look, and waited for the cue to continue. I made him yeild his hind quarters away from me in both directions, which he understood the first time he was asked, I didn't even need to touch him with the rope. Cecily tried to pony him on Sunny, and Justin just looked at us like "You're kidding, right? You're going to make me do this?", but he went along with it anyways, and even gave us a little trot. He's such a smart boy.
I've been watching some old videos lately, found one of Justin's second canter under saddle. We made it three times around a twenty meter circle, with two or three small bucks. The sad part is, at that point in time, that was excellent for him. He sure has come a long way!
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