Bentley had his first real ride in weeks yesterday. We trotted for about a half a mile in the ring at first. He was still bobbing a bit but eager to be doing anything other than walking.
We went down to the valley next for a walk since I didn't want to push him too hard. We were having a nice walk around until the 2 mares which seem to ALWAYS be in heat started grunting at us and approaching Bentley. Lee was walking alongside us, and managed to keep them away mostly, but Bentley did start acting up. He burst into a trot, which I let him do because I figure, if he wants to trot, I will let him, but it soon turned into what I call the "Happy Hop."
He doesn't so much buck, but he does put his head down and pops up in a little skip fashion which isn't so much fun for me. He was doing it in his ring antics the few days before, but rarely tries it under saddle. He certainly is fresh!
Crossed the creek and separated ourselves from the herd and I let him trot again. Didn't ask, but did allow. However, he got fresh again and we ended up galloping down one of the smaller hills. Brought him back to the place of explosion and trotted figure 8s for what seemed like an eternity although I am sure it was only a few minutes of frustration. By the end of it, we were calm at least, but form wasn't too stellar, with him motorcycling into each turn with his shoulders.
On the plus side, when we worked on the grass, he was much better injury-wise. Bobbing only was apparent on tight circles, and still, barely.
We walked for another 2 miles and ended up our ride at a total of 5 miles. I think only about a mile to a mile and a half of that was trotting, but I am happy with that. It will be a slow comeback to make sure we don't do anything to re-injure him before his debut in August.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Epic Horseplay
A few weeks ago in the lunchroom at work, I was talking about jollyballs for horses. Much like I do when they talk about babies, my coworkers patiently waited for me to get the horse chat out of my my system. One woman was certainly listening however because she commented that she never knew that horses liked to play or thought of them as a playful animal.
This doesnt surprise me, most people dont get to see horses the way us true horsey folk do. They just see them standing around munching hay when they drive past a farm, or working hard when they do whatever they do. To me, horseplay is the best play and to see a giant animal get downright silly is probably the best experience ever.
My first experience playing with Bentley was a while back, where we somehow managed to play tag in the field. Not really sure how I taught him that, but I would chase him, he would let me catch him, then I would run off and he would chase after me. Adoreable right?
Last night as I drove home from work, I experienced some of the scariest lightning, rain and hail I had ever seen. Frantically I called everyone I knew trying to find someone to bring my horse in. No such luck. In fact, most of them thought I was crazy because it was clear skies at home. So in my beautiful red dress I went straight from work to the barn, and started running horses into their stalls. Lightning is where I draw the line, I really dont like my horse to be out in that stuff. All the girls thought I was crazy (however this isnt the first time I came to the barn in a nice dress straight from work) but followed my lead to start bringing in the horses. All but one got in before the sky let loose. Poor Shannon led Chloe through the doors, drenched to the core. They all immediately stopped calling me crazy. It was fun however, trotting all the horses from the field in my finest, I felt like I was doing the trotout at Rolex (and totally would have made the best dressed list!)
While the storm hung overhead, I decided to do some chores and feed my horse. Linda had made it into the barn before the rain started (as one of the people I frantically called) and in the downpour my dad also arrived to save the horses (as another who i had frantically called) We had free entertainment through the storm watching Sable go after the hanging treat ball I had bought for B when he was on stall rest.
So with the horses fed and happy and dry in their stalls, I ventured home to feed my other animals. Lee was very grateful. Haha.
We were out running errands, and the storm warning was called off, so we figured we would go put Bentley out in the field. No need to keep him in anymore! Lee hadnt seen him in a while (since the limping at the trot was really bad) so I brought him into the arena to show him Bentley's improvement. Bentley is very close to being back to normal, and was particularly frisky from lack of work this last month. It had started to rain again, so we just decided to close the arena doors and let him blow off some steam.
Well he sure must be feeling better. WOW what energy. Trotted around snorting with his neck all arched, cantering tight turns and spinning on his haunches like a reiner, bucking and leaping and farting like a maniac. All unprovoked. Just so darn happy to be given a place to play. Lee was amazed, he had never seen bentley act this way (I hadnt either with the exception of when he played with Sterling) and it was such a blast to watch him.
Then we discovered the Jollyball at one side of the arena and decided to do some desensitizing. So I threw the ball to his side, he was clearly interested but not scared at all. Lee thought it would be a good idea to start tossing the ball onto Bentley's back, and although I was adamant that it was a horrible idea, Bentley didnt seem to mind at all. Thinking that was enough of the ball to thoroughly have him hate it, I kicked the ball to the outside of the ring where it's evils (all in my mind I assure you) would not bother us anymore.
Well wouldnt you know it, but Bentley does his arced neck, extended play trot right up to the ball and touches it with his nose. What??? He likes the ball? So I run over, and toss the ball back to the other end again, and there he goes, chasing it across the ring, plafully tossing his head and stopping to inspect it again. Lee and I started tossing and kicking the ball back and forth with this fetch game continuing for a good 10 minutes.
By that point, we were drawing a crowd of girls, watching through the windows of the arena. So I invite them in to get a better look, especially since I see Emily trying to videotape through the dirty windows. First time, he followed the ball but got distracted by his audience, and went over to greet them instead. Hes so charming, and a kid magnet too.
He then remembered the game, and performed wonderfully for everyone and the cameras. Fetching the ball and acting all cute.
You would think that would be enough for him, but he had to outdo himself with this next move which I am still having trouble grasping the reality of. He had learned in the game that a good strategy to catch the ball, was to go ahead of the ball and intercept it on course. So in one particular instance, he comes up beside and slightly ahead of the ball, shifts his hindquartes towards the ball and kicks out on a diagonal with his hind leg, getting the ball square in the sweet spot and propelling the ball down the arena. Squeals of delight and misbelief came from about 8 young girls (and Lee and I) at this. best of all, Emily caught it on video. Rest assured, I will post it as soon as she uploads it.
I could understand if he tripped and accidentally kicked it, but this was clearly no accident. This horse kicked that ball with intention!
I have no idea what brought him to think of this, and it amazes me at the depth of his mind. I have always known horses are brilliant animals, but the level of consciousness he displayed was far more than I ever could have imagined or learned through scientific studies. Perhaps he saw us kicking it and wanted to mimic it? Perhaps he just wanted to try it for fun? Either way, there were a whole lot of thoughts in his head for this to happen. What a new respect I have for him.
So a couple of fun quotes we can use for the video:
There was once a football match between two small village teams. The visitors were surprised to see that the home team's goalkeeper was a horse.
The horse played extremely well and it was mainly due to him that the home team won. After the match the visiting captain said to the home captain,
'How on earth did a horse ever learn to keep goal like that'
'How does anyone learn' answered the home captain. 'Practice, practice, practice!'
Any thoughts on more good ones?
EDIT: Here is the video :)
Link to share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20O0UVhPS64&feature=youtu.be
This doesnt surprise me, most people dont get to see horses the way us true horsey folk do. They just see them standing around munching hay when they drive past a farm, or working hard when they do whatever they do. To me, horseplay is the best play and to see a giant animal get downright silly is probably the best experience ever.
My first experience playing with Bentley was a while back, where we somehow managed to play tag in the field. Not really sure how I taught him that, but I would chase him, he would let me catch him, then I would run off and he would chase after me. Adoreable right?
Last night as I drove home from work, I experienced some of the scariest lightning, rain and hail I had ever seen. Frantically I called everyone I knew trying to find someone to bring my horse in. No such luck. In fact, most of them thought I was crazy because it was clear skies at home. So in my beautiful red dress I went straight from work to the barn, and started running horses into their stalls. Lightning is where I draw the line, I really dont like my horse to be out in that stuff. All the girls thought I was crazy (however this isnt the first time I came to the barn in a nice dress straight from work) but followed my lead to start bringing in the horses. All but one got in before the sky let loose. Poor Shannon led Chloe through the doors, drenched to the core. They all immediately stopped calling me crazy. It was fun however, trotting all the horses from the field in my finest, I felt like I was doing the trotout at Rolex (and totally would have made the best dressed list!)
While the storm hung overhead, I decided to do some chores and feed my horse. Linda had made it into the barn before the rain started (as one of the people I frantically called) and in the downpour my dad also arrived to save the horses (as another who i had frantically called) We had free entertainment through the storm watching Sable go after the hanging treat ball I had bought for B when he was on stall rest.
There is a tasty treat ball behind them somewhere, or maybe the horses are just making out. Lovebirds!
Sharing their treat. Funny how Bentley wasnt interested in it until Sable was chowing down. I am just happy that the horses are eating it and not the raccoons (anymore)
Sable is the prettiest horse in the barn, cant you tell from this photo?
So with the horses fed and happy and dry in their stalls, I ventured home to feed my other animals. Lee was very grateful. Haha.
We were out running errands, and the storm warning was called off, so we figured we would go put Bentley out in the field. No need to keep him in anymore! Lee hadnt seen him in a while (since the limping at the trot was really bad) so I brought him into the arena to show him Bentley's improvement. Bentley is very close to being back to normal, and was particularly frisky from lack of work this last month. It had started to rain again, so we just decided to close the arena doors and let him blow off some steam.
Well he sure must be feeling better. WOW what energy. Trotted around snorting with his neck all arched, cantering tight turns and spinning on his haunches like a reiner, bucking and leaping and farting like a maniac. All unprovoked. Just so darn happy to be given a place to play. Lee was amazed, he had never seen bentley act this way (I hadnt either with the exception of when he played with Sterling) and it was such a blast to watch him.
Then we discovered the Jollyball at one side of the arena and decided to do some desensitizing. So I threw the ball to his side, he was clearly interested but not scared at all. Lee thought it would be a good idea to start tossing the ball onto Bentley's back, and although I was adamant that it was a horrible idea, Bentley didnt seem to mind at all. Thinking that was enough of the ball to thoroughly have him hate it, I kicked the ball to the outside of the ring where it's evils (all in my mind I assure you) would not bother us anymore.
Well wouldnt you know it, but Bentley does his arced neck, extended play trot right up to the ball and touches it with his nose. What??? He likes the ball? So I run over, and toss the ball back to the other end again, and there he goes, chasing it across the ring, plafully tossing his head and stopping to inspect it again. Lee and I started tossing and kicking the ball back and forth with this fetch game continuing for a good 10 minutes.
By that point, we were drawing a crowd of girls, watching through the windows of the arena. So I invite them in to get a better look, especially since I see Emily trying to videotape through the dirty windows. First time, he followed the ball but got distracted by his audience, and went over to greet them instead. Hes so charming, and a kid magnet too.
He then remembered the game, and performed wonderfully for everyone and the cameras. Fetching the ball and acting all cute.
You would think that would be enough for him, but he had to outdo himself with this next move which I am still having trouble grasping the reality of. He had learned in the game that a good strategy to catch the ball, was to go ahead of the ball and intercept it on course. So in one particular instance, he comes up beside and slightly ahead of the ball, shifts his hindquartes towards the ball and kicks out on a diagonal with his hind leg, getting the ball square in the sweet spot and propelling the ball down the arena. Squeals of delight and misbelief came from about 8 young girls (and Lee and I) at this. best of all, Emily caught it on video. Rest assured, I will post it as soon as she uploads it.
I could understand if he tripped and accidentally kicked it, but this was clearly no accident. This horse kicked that ball with intention!
I have no idea what brought him to think of this, and it amazes me at the depth of his mind. I have always known horses are brilliant animals, but the level of consciousness he displayed was far more than I ever could have imagined or learned through scientific studies. Perhaps he saw us kicking it and wanted to mimic it? Perhaps he just wanted to try it for fun? Either way, there were a whole lot of thoughts in his head for this to happen. What a new respect I have for him.
So a couple of fun quotes we can use for the video:
- World cup fever is so contagious, even my horse has caught it
- If the riding thing doesnt work out, Bentley can always fall back on his blossoming soccer career
- Who needs a mallet for polo when you have a horse like this?
- Bentley looked so different from the other kids on the soccer field, but boy could he ever play!
There was once a football match between two small village teams. The visitors were surprised to see that the home team's goalkeeper was a horse.
The horse played extremely well and it was mainly due to him that the home team won. After the match the visiting captain said to the home captain,
'How on earth did a horse ever learn to keep goal like that'
'How does anyone learn' answered the home captain. 'Practice, practice, practice!'
Any thoughts on more good ones?
EDIT: Here is the video :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
10 Reasons You (the hunter, jumper or whatever) should try distance riding
- You already have a horse that can do it. With the right conditioning, there is no wrong breed of horse, especially in the shorter distances, its about the work that you put in, not buying the 6 figure show mount. PLUS you already have all the tack you need no matter what discipline you come from. Saddle comfy? Bridle works? ASTM approved helmet? You are in! How easy was that?
- Rides start as low as 12 miles. How far is 12 miles? About 2 hours of working walk, trot and maybe some canter thrown in. I know a ton of schoolies who already do that on a daily basis!
- Freedom of expression. No stuffy show jackets or attire rules favoring tradition over function. Welcome modern materials, colours, and personality into everything. You will never have last years saddle pad, a bad colour horse, or the wrong type of equipment.
- Biothane tack. Did I mention freedom of expression? You should SEE the colours on this stuff! I know how much you must be longing for colour. Not to mention, all you have to do to clean it is hose it down. Goodbye to the 36289 leather products in your basement!
- Trim your waistlines, clear your mind. You both get in shape, look awesome, and enjoy a break from your ordinary routine. Plus eat whatever you want and tell people you are "trying to move up a weight division for CTR" Its a good strategy right?
- Tons of time to work on your equitation, I'm talking hours and hours. And if you are doing something wrong, boy will your body ever let you know!
- Camping with your horse. Its very relaxing falling asleep in a tent listening to your horse happily munching on hay. I know a lot of you pay for this anyway, why not get some credit for it?
- The eye-pop, jaw-drop look on peoples faces when you tell them you completed 12, 25, 50, 100 miles last weekend, and of course you just act like its no big deal.
- Economical decision. Horse show- Spend $200+ on entry fees, ride for 20 minutes for a measly ribbon if you are lucky. Distance ride - $50-120 on entry fees.... RIDE ALL DAY
- Everyone there wants you to complete your course happy and healthy, and is ready waiting to share a beer with you at the finish line.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
"Stuff" From Summer Solstice
The GPS of our ride. Click on the "Player" tab and on "Aerial" view to follow where we went through the forest.
http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/190624836
Our CTR Scorecard:
Notice how it is perfect right up until our giant Grade 3 lameness? Hence the shock and disappointment that we couldn't complete, we were doing fabulously! The B impulsion was also due to the lameness... lets face it, if you are sore, your impulsion wouldn't be so great either! Bob tells me the saddlepad caused a gall on her whithers. That is why she wasn't moving correctly, to avoid the pain of the rub, resulting in sore shoulders.
http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/190624836
Our CTR Scorecard:
Getting ready to go out. Watch, GPS and in times for each loop written down my arm. This worked soooo well for me! Next time I will likely discard the 2nd watch, I was just worried about GPS battery so I turned it off at each hold. Heather got the watch after I was pulled. Hmm come to think about it, she still has it. Hope she enjoys my early morning alarms!
Me and Leena all ready to go.
Us with Val and Pretzel, waiting for our time to come at the start line.
And we are off!
Bob had to start 3 minutes behind us, speedy start to catch up!
Sue and Batique starting the crossing line.
Dave and Gringo weren't able to start, but still had a nice hack, and Lee was happy to be the official photographer.
Doug and a few ladies I have not yet met coming in.
Mike and Heather coming in from their last loop of the 12 mile set speed.
Heather and Foxy Baronessa walking the last half mile into camp to help lower her heartrate for scoring.
Linda and more people I don't know yet doing the half mile trot in required by CTR. Linda won the Novice CTR which makes her 2 for 2 this season. Way to go!
Rick is learning how to pit crew. Lee makes a good teacher and had him slugging buckets by the end of this.
Heather trying to get Foxy's heartrate down for the final 30 minute pulse of the set speed. Their 20 minute pulse was 44, but unfortunately it went up to 56 for the part that counted. Maybe Foxy saw something scary? She still earned her completion and that's what matters! Hopefully the score does not spoil it for her and we see her out at the next ride.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Things never go as expected
First off, let me say "Ow"
I am so sore today. I didn't fall or anything, but considering I hadn't really ridden in 3 weeks, a long ride may have been a bit too ambitious. I cant wait until I have to go fetch something from the other side of the building at work and everyone can see my hobble and make a fuss over me (sarcasm).
The weekend started out great. Signs were looking good for me. In the last few weeks, my riding boots had given up every last will they had to live. I'm talking duct tape from the heel to the knee, and even that might not have been enough. So I was set to ride in my running shoes because I am too cheap to buy new boots when there are no good sales on. With that history in mind, I was perusing the EMG classifieds before leaving work on Friday, and what would you know it... a pair of used Ariat Terrains for sale, in a size that is 0.5 too smaller than I usually wear, but might just work. I immediately respond and ask where she was located... right on my way home from work. Met up with her, she was selling them because they stretched and were half a size too big for her. It was meant to be! She was also very interested in the idea of distance riding, and we chatted for quite a while, promising to send her info on the sport and how she can give it a try. Oh and when I went into the tim hortons, ordered an iced capp, it was a little runny so I got it for free. Lucky Lucky me! After coming home, our evening double date had cancelled, so Lee and I went to his hairdresser hoping that they could squeeze us in for haircuts (it had been since November since I last had this done) At first they said "no way" but then for some reason they changed their minds and voila, I no longer look raggedy on top anymore. We also ended up having a double date +1 with Heather and James and Owen (their newborn) at Norval by Night and had a delicious meal and great company.
Saturday we weren't due to Mansfield until 3, so in the morning Heather (this time my sister Heather) and I went to the barn to play with Bentley. Hes still bobbing a little bit, but its decreased a lot. Hes clearly feeling good too, and wants to explode. Nonetheless, I decided to see what he would be like bareback for the first time. Here comes in my other "ow" due the the fact he seemed to get the sharp Arab spine in his breeding. We walked around for a half an hour or so in the ring, stopping frequently to nibble, then to decorate him in pretty daisy's. Photos of this to come.
I believe it was right around when I got to dufferin that my luck started changing. First, the 50 had been cancelled due to lack of entries. Second, in the tack sale, someone was selling a used biothane bridle in the EXACT same colours that we just picked for GEC for about a third of what it would cost new (making it a perfect prize for mileage program) but by the time I came back with the intention to purchase, it had already found a new home. Im actually debating going to the forums to find out who got this and offer them a quick buck to get it.
The bad luck also continued into the night, where campfire noises (aka rowdy riders haha) kept me awake past the point of no sleep. That just seems to be the way I work, if I cant fall asleep by a certain point, it is just going to never happen. Part of it is me thinking about how desperately I need sleep if I expect to ride for 7 hours and getting frustrated that it isn't happening, then the other part is knowing I have to wake up super early in X amount of hours and I dare not sleep in. So to sum it up, I had literally 0 hours of sleep Saturday night.
Val didn't get much sleep either due to the same circumstances I endured, and we had jokes in the morning about how we couldn't complete the most simple of tasks. I'm having difficulty remembering exactly what our problems were, but I distinctly remember it took me several tries and probably about 10 minutes to put on my pinny, and Val calling "saddle" a "salad" several times. A promising start to our day, good thing we were together (more sarcasm there)
Dave was not able to start due to Gringo being off (so that subtracts one member of team Cayuse off the bat). Jess and Earl were also not able to start for same reason. Did I mention this was the ride last year that Linda couldnt start because of mysterious soreness too?
Surprisingly our lack of mental acuity did not result in us losing our way along the trail but it felt very rough. The first loop I kept thinking "there is no way I can finish this, I'm going to have to pull, I am letting this horse down" because my brain felt about a foot above my skull. I was also getting joint pain after the first 5 miles, which could have been lack of sleep, or my lack of riding the previous 3 weeks. In the first loop too, we had a scare when Pretzel slipped and fell in the very loose sand footing around a turn and Val flew over his left shoulder. Luckily Bob had caught up to us well before that point, so he could help her while I rode ahead to catch Pretzel. She was able to get back on and keep riding, but you could tell she was really sore.
We cleared through our vet check with perfect scores, no surprise for Allieena, shes a great CTR horse. The second loop felt a lot better for me. I could feel myself riding better, using energy more efficiently, and my joint pain had magically vanished. We trotted basically the full loop, and my posting was great, light and easy on Leena, not the bumpy posting from the knees of our first loop. After that loop, I felt confident that I would be able to pull myself through and complete the full 37 despite my swirling head and exhaustion on the first loop. As we did our 1/2 mile trot in, Val mentioned that pretzel was feeling a bit off just then, a slight bobbing of the head.
At the vet check, Pretzel was asked to run again, never a great sign. Diagnosed as muscle soreness in both shoulders and he was pulled. Then came our run, Leena had felt fine on the trail, no bobbing and was eager to move forward. But as I asked her to trot out, she needed a lot of encouragement. The dreaded second trot was asked of us, and circling confirmed that Leena too was sore, had knots in both shoulders and we had to pull.
This was very disappointing for me on many levels. First off, I was hoping so dearly to complete this for Shyla (I came very close to tears because of this), second was my track record with Dufferin forest and how badly I emotionally needed a completion for that course, and lastly, nobody ever likes their horse to pull up lame and when you are riding someone else's horse its always so difficult because more people have to pay the price. I know there was nothing I really could have done, but it was very painful not to complete. 3/4 riders on our team didn't complete, so very disappointing.
I am guessing the problem was the very loose sand footing throughout the whole course. Especially since both Pretzel and Leena were pulled for the same reasons. Both of them too have now had falls on this course this year. I know deep sand is particularly hard to run in. So as much as I hate the thick stuff in the back ring at GEC, I may have to start conditioning through this too for when Bentley makes his first ride at Dufferin during Oktoberfest.
Michelle (Leena's owner) was very positive and tried her best to make me feel better, saying that bad things happen in 3s and I had fulfilled my quota (Abby at last Oktoberfest, Foxy at Aprilfest and now this). But a lot of what is helping perk me up happened today when I saw the results. Solstice, an incredible junior rider, won the ride, which is very appropriate since it is the "Summer Solstice" ride. She is a great little kid and really deserved it. Plus, not completing means I still have my novice status and can take advantage of this with Bentley, as well as a lot of knowledge of the trail...25 miles worth. I also was able to come home early with Rick and Lee, and slept from about 2pm clear through to 7am this morning with a brief period of alertness around 7pm to shower, eat a sandwich, and give Heather a key to our parents house since she had forgotten hers. I think I still have some recovering to do however.
Also, for Shyla, this must be the universe's way of telling me that the ride isn't the way to lift her spirits, and I have thought up something to do in my video message to her to make her laugh instead.
Hopefully Bentley is better soon, we both have to get back in shape fast if we expect to do 2 15s in his debut at Coates Creek!
Oh and did I mention? Linda won the novice division, and Heather earned her completion. At least those of us who made it to the end of the trail had a good day!
Photos and garmin map to come, I just haven't had the time to unpack and upload all my stuff... too busy sleeping. So sorry for the text heavy post.
I am so sore today. I didn't fall or anything, but considering I hadn't really ridden in 3 weeks, a long ride may have been a bit too ambitious. I cant wait until I have to go fetch something from the other side of the building at work and everyone can see my hobble and make a fuss over me (sarcasm).
The weekend started out great. Signs were looking good for me. In the last few weeks, my riding boots had given up every last will they had to live. I'm talking duct tape from the heel to the knee, and even that might not have been enough. So I was set to ride in my running shoes because I am too cheap to buy new boots when there are no good sales on. With that history in mind, I was perusing the EMG classifieds before leaving work on Friday, and what would you know it... a pair of used Ariat Terrains for sale, in a size that is 0.5 too smaller than I usually wear, but might just work. I immediately respond and ask where she was located... right on my way home from work. Met up with her, she was selling them because they stretched and were half a size too big for her. It was meant to be! She was also very interested in the idea of distance riding, and we chatted for quite a while, promising to send her info on the sport and how she can give it a try. Oh and when I went into the tim hortons, ordered an iced capp, it was a little runny so I got it for free. Lucky Lucky me! After coming home, our evening double date had cancelled, so Lee and I went to his hairdresser hoping that they could squeeze us in for haircuts (it had been since November since I last had this done) At first they said "no way" but then for some reason they changed their minds and voila, I no longer look raggedy on top anymore. We also ended up having a double date +1 with Heather and James and Owen (their newborn) at Norval by Night and had a delicious meal and great company.
Saturday we weren't due to Mansfield until 3, so in the morning Heather (this time my sister Heather) and I went to the barn to play with Bentley. Hes still bobbing a little bit, but its decreased a lot. Hes clearly feeling good too, and wants to explode. Nonetheless, I decided to see what he would be like bareback for the first time. Here comes in my other "ow" due the the fact he seemed to get the sharp Arab spine in his breeding. We walked around for a half an hour or so in the ring, stopping frequently to nibble, then to decorate him in pretty daisy's. Photos of this to come.
I believe it was right around when I got to dufferin that my luck started changing. First, the 50 had been cancelled due to lack of entries. Second, in the tack sale, someone was selling a used biothane bridle in the EXACT same colours that we just picked for GEC for about a third of what it would cost new (making it a perfect prize for mileage program) but by the time I came back with the intention to purchase, it had already found a new home. Im actually debating going to the forums to find out who got this and offer them a quick buck to get it.
The bad luck also continued into the night, where campfire noises (aka rowdy riders haha) kept me awake past the point of no sleep. That just seems to be the way I work, if I cant fall asleep by a certain point, it is just going to never happen. Part of it is me thinking about how desperately I need sleep if I expect to ride for 7 hours and getting frustrated that it isn't happening, then the other part is knowing I have to wake up super early in X amount of hours and I dare not sleep in. So to sum it up, I had literally 0 hours of sleep Saturday night.
Val didn't get much sleep either due to the same circumstances I endured, and we had jokes in the morning about how we couldn't complete the most simple of tasks. I'm having difficulty remembering exactly what our problems were, but I distinctly remember it took me several tries and probably about 10 minutes to put on my pinny, and Val calling "saddle" a "salad" several times. A promising start to our day, good thing we were together (more sarcasm there)
Dave was not able to start due to Gringo being off (so that subtracts one member of team Cayuse off the bat). Jess and Earl were also not able to start for same reason. Did I mention this was the ride last year that Linda couldnt start because of mysterious soreness too?
Surprisingly our lack of mental acuity did not result in us losing our way along the trail but it felt very rough. The first loop I kept thinking "there is no way I can finish this, I'm going to have to pull, I am letting this horse down" because my brain felt about a foot above my skull. I was also getting joint pain after the first 5 miles, which could have been lack of sleep, or my lack of riding the previous 3 weeks. In the first loop too, we had a scare when Pretzel slipped and fell in the very loose sand footing around a turn and Val flew over his left shoulder. Luckily Bob had caught up to us well before that point, so he could help her while I rode ahead to catch Pretzel. She was able to get back on and keep riding, but you could tell she was really sore.
We cleared through our vet check with perfect scores, no surprise for Allieena, shes a great CTR horse. The second loop felt a lot better for me. I could feel myself riding better, using energy more efficiently, and my joint pain had magically vanished. We trotted basically the full loop, and my posting was great, light and easy on Leena, not the bumpy posting from the knees of our first loop. After that loop, I felt confident that I would be able to pull myself through and complete the full 37 despite my swirling head and exhaustion on the first loop. As we did our 1/2 mile trot in, Val mentioned that pretzel was feeling a bit off just then, a slight bobbing of the head.
At the vet check, Pretzel was asked to run again, never a great sign. Diagnosed as muscle soreness in both shoulders and he was pulled. Then came our run, Leena had felt fine on the trail, no bobbing and was eager to move forward. But as I asked her to trot out, she needed a lot of encouragement. The dreaded second trot was asked of us, and circling confirmed that Leena too was sore, had knots in both shoulders and we had to pull.
This was very disappointing for me on many levels. First off, I was hoping so dearly to complete this for Shyla (I came very close to tears because of this), second was my track record with Dufferin forest and how badly I emotionally needed a completion for that course, and lastly, nobody ever likes their horse to pull up lame and when you are riding someone else's horse its always so difficult because more people have to pay the price. I know there was nothing I really could have done, but it was very painful not to complete. 3/4 riders on our team didn't complete, so very disappointing.
I am guessing the problem was the very loose sand footing throughout the whole course. Especially since both Pretzel and Leena were pulled for the same reasons. Both of them too have now had falls on this course this year. I know deep sand is particularly hard to run in. So as much as I hate the thick stuff in the back ring at GEC, I may have to start conditioning through this too for when Bentley makes his first ride at Dufferin during Oktoberfest.
Michelle (Leena's owner) was very positive and tried her best to make me feel better, saying that bad things happen in 3s and I had fulfilled my quota (Abby at last Oktoberfest, Foxy at Aprilfest and now this). But a lot of what is helping perk me up happened today when I saw the results. Solstice, an incredible junior rider, won the ride, which is very appropriate since it is the "Summer Solstice" ride. She is a great little kid and really deserved it. Plus, not completing means I still have my novice status and can take advantage of this with Bentley, as well as a lot of knowledge of the trail...25 miles worth. I also was able to come home early with Rick and Lee, and slept from about 2pm clear through to 7am this morning with a brief period of alertness around 7pm to shower, eat a sandwich, and give Heather a key to our parents house since she had forgotten hers. I think I still have some recovering to do however.
Also, for Shyla, this must be the universe's way of telling me that the ride isn't the way to lift her spirits, and I have thought up something to do in my video message to her to make her laugh instead.
Hopefully Bentley is better soon, we both have to get back in shape fast if we expect to do 2 15s in his debut at Coates Creek!
Oh and did I mention? Linda won the novice division, and Heather earned her completion. At least those of us who made it to the end of the trail had a good day!
Photos and garmin map to come, I just haven't had the time to unpack and upload all my stuff... too busy sleeping. So sorry for the text heavy post.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thoughts to Shyla
Today I received some very unfortunate news about one of my very close friends from Highschool.
Shyla O'Donnell, Sheena and I had several great years in highschool before she moved away. The 3 of us were inseparable rock concert goers and were rarely caught alone. We even had a few rock bands we formed in my parent's basements along with Laura Rivers and Evan Switzer (by the way I miss you both a ton too!) Sheena and Shyla are incredibly fearless, especially when it comes to social settings. I never had that trait, but enjoyed the introductions (and trips backstage or music video extra work!) gained through them. We have such contrasting personalities, but I recognize how much they helped me come out of my shell... something that has helped me so much since highschool to become successful in college and employment.
Shyla now also has a 2 year old daughter and a wonderful boyfriend along with her family in New Brunswick.
This week, she was involved in a four wheeler accident and is currently in the ICU at St. John hospital, I am told that she is paralyzed from the waist down.
I always feel so useless in these situations, I never know what I can do to help.
So I want to dedicate my ride this weekend to her, 50 miles and 9 hours in the saddle I will be thinking about her. I want to do what I do best to show her my support from this side of the country.
Gifts will be accepted, Sheena is going to see her some time next week and I will be sending along some things with her too.
Shyla O'Donnell, Sheena and I had several great years in highschool before she moved away. The 3 of us were inseparable rock concert goers and were rarely caught alone. We even had a few rock bands we formed in my parent's basements along with Laura Rivers and Evan Switzer (by the way I miss you both a ton too!) Sheena and Shyla are incredibly fearless, especially when it comes to social settings. I never had that trait, but enjoyed the introductions (and trips backstage or music video extra work!) gained through them. We have such contrasting personalities, but I recognize how much they helped me come out of my shell... something that has helped me so much since highschool to become successful in college and employment.
Shyla now also has a 2 year old daughter and a wonderful boyfriend along with her family in New Brunswick.
This week, she was involved in a four wheeler accident and is currently in the ICU at St. John hospital, I am told that she is paralyzed from the waist down.
I always feel so useless in these situations, I never know what I can do to help.
So I want to dedicate my ride this weekend to her, 50 miles and 9 hours in the saddle I will be thinking about her. I want to do what I do best to show her my support from this side of the country.
Gifts will be accepted, Sheena is going to see her some time next week and I will be sending along some things with her too.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Lee goes for a ride
Since Bentley can't do any more than a walk right now, last night was the perfect opportunity for Lee to get up and get a feel for him. But let me back up a bit, to a few weeks ago when Lee finished his last lesson at Stepping Stones.
That's Lee riding Beau on a course of trot poles. Not bad for only 6 lessons! He is a natural.
Now back to last night.
I had to get on Bentley first to prove that he wasn't going to be silly and try and run off with Lee. After only a few laps of the ring, Lee was convinced and got up. Bentley was so good while Lee mounted and accidentally kicked him on the rump. Usually Bentley tries to walk off, but he must have understood that Lee was going to need some help. Testing testing... steering, check... brakes, check... gas pedal, woah that's touchy! Few strides of gimpy trot there. Eventually Lee figured out exactly how much (or little) Bentley needs to get his focus back without asking him to trot.
I gave the option to learn more advanced "stuff" at the walk, or go for a walk on the trail and Lee chose trail. The moment they stepped out of the ring, Bentley hurled his nose forward, reins flew out of Lee's hands and the mouth was FULL of grass. Talk about taking advantage of a new rider! A bit of struggling later, and Lee could see the "look" in Bentley's eye and easily prevented future disagreements.
We ran into Heather and Mel in the plateau.
Bentley had shown quite a bit of ouchie at the walk doing hills, but was moving better on the flat. Every so often he would make a misstep at the walk in the plateau but not the sandring. This leads me to believe he has a bruise or soreness in his soles or possibly frog even though he did not react to any of the pain testing the farrier did. Picking his feet out after, he certainly seemed sore in the left foot on the left side of the frog. Perhaps easy boots will help this? I am not going to purchase any just yet, I was intending on purchasing them eventually, but its not quite in the budget right now. I will let him recover and see if we have any more troubles with this.
Regardless, the boys had a good walk.
We guess Lee rode about a mile, and after that Lee can be quoted saying "Only 99 more in a row to go" Thats right, he just committed to riding a 100 mile ride. No turning back now.
That's Lee riding Beau on a course of trot poles. Not bad for only 6 lessons! He is a natural.
Now back to last night.
I had to get on Bentley first to prove that he wasn't going to be silly and try and run off with Lee. After only a few laps of the ring, Lee was convinced and got up. Bentley was so good while Lee mounted and accidentally kicked him on the rump. Usually Bentley tries to walk off, but he must have understood that Lee was going to need some help. Testing testing... steering, check... brakes, check... gas pedal, woah that's touchy! Few strides of gimpy trot there. Eventually Lee figured out exactly how much (or little) Bentley needs to get his focus back without asking him to trot.
I gave the option to learn more advanced "stuff" at the walk, or go for a walk on the trail and Lee chose trail. The moment they stepped out of the ring, Bentley hurled his nose forward, reins flew out of Lee's hands and the mouth was FULL of grass. Talk about taking advantage of a new rider! A bit of struggling later, and Lee could see the "look" in Bentley's eye and easily prevented future disagreements.
We ran into Heather and Mel in the plateau.
Bentley had shown quite a bit of ouchie at the walk doing hills, but was moving better on the flat. Every so often he would make a misstep at the walk in the plateau but not the sandring. This leads me to believe he has a bruise or soreness in his soles or possibly frog even though he did not react to any of the pain testing the farrier did. Picking his feet out after, he certainly seemed sore in the left foot on the left side of the frog. Perhaps easy boots will help this? I am not going to purchase any just yet, I was intending on purchasing them eventually, but its not quite in the budget right now. I will let him recover and see if we have any more troubles with this.
Regardless, the boys had a good walk.
We guess Lee rode about a mile, and after that Lee can be quoted saying "Only 99 more in a row to go" Thats right, he just committed to riding a 100 mile ride. No turning back now.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Let's not dwell
Just posted a post that should have gone up yesterday morning.
Since then, my farrier has determined there are NO abscesses. So I am back to square one with the mystery of "Why is my horse lame?" I'm going to give him to the end of the week and try not to worry about it or spend any more money on fixes.
Instead, lets think positive and look towards the exciting weekend ahead.
I am very excited to be riding Leena in the Summer Solstice ride. We are booked to do the 50 mile CTR, my longest distance to date, which is also surprising to have such a long distance at CTR. Expecting it will be about 9 hours to complete.
However, the 50 will not be if more people don't sign up. Right now there are only 4 of us registered to do this distance, and we need a minimum of 6 pre-registered for it to run. So if you are thinking about doing the 50... get your entry in now! Pleeeeaaaasssseee! If it doesn't run, I still do the 37 mile, and it is still the longest distance completed, but I would love to say I got a 50 in before I went back to the shorter distances for Bentley's sake.
The fun continues as my youngest sister Heather is set to do her first OCTRA ride. She will be riding Sue's horse Foxy Baronessa, a standardbred that I rode at Aprilfest. I think this pair will do well, Heather is used to riding Rurik, so she should be comfortable with the pacing that may occur. She is going to do the 12 mile set speed and ride with Mike and Easy. I know she is going to be hooked once she gets out on those trails. Hopefully we can continue to find her mounts for the rest of the season and make good use of her memberships.
So far the weather calls to be perfect. Maybe a little on the hot side, but Dufferin is mostly shaded, so it should be a wonderful day to ride. Hopefully my dufferin luck doesn't continue. Last 2 times I had DNF or DNS due to problems resulting (likely) from the cold temps. Doubt that will happen, but who knows!
Here's to a good weekend ahead!
Since then, my farrier has determined there are NO abscesses. So I am back to square one with the mystery of "Why is my horse lame?" I'm going to give him to the end of the week and try not to worry about it or spend any more money on fixes.
Instead, lets think positive and look towards the exciting weekend ahead.
I am very excited to be riding Leena in the Summer Solstice ride. We are booked to do the 50 mile CTR, my longest distance to date, which is also surprising to have such a long distance at CTR. Expecting it will be about 9 hours to complete.
However, the 50 will not be if more people don't sign up. Right now there are only 4 of us registered to do this distance, and we need a minimum of 6 pre-registered for it to run. So if you are thinking about doing the 50... get your entry in now! Pleeeeaaaasssseee! If it doesn't run, I still do the 37 mile, and it is still the longest distance completed, but I would love to say I got a 50 in before I went back to the shorter distances for Bentley's sake.
The fun continues as my youngest sister Heather is set to do her first OCTRA ride. She will be riding Sue's horse Foxy Baronessa, a standardbred that I rode at Aprilfest. I think this pair will do well, Heather is used to riding Rurik, so she should be comfortable with the pacing that may occur. She is going to do the 12 mile set speed and ride with Mike and Easy. I know she is going to be hooked once she gets out on those trails. Hopefully we can continue to find her mounts for the rest of the season and make good use of her memberships.
So far the weather calls to be perfect. Maybe a little on the hot side, but Dufferin is mostly shaded, so it should be a wonderful day to ride. Hopefully my dufferin luck doesn't continue. Last 2 times I had DNF or DNS due to problems resulting (likely) from the cold temps. Doubt that will happen, but who knows!
Here's to a good weekend ahead!
Well, no improvement with Bentley over the weekend. Well, I suppose that depends on how you define improvement.
He was moved to the schoolie barn so he could be near horses that are inside pretty much all the time. He was far too upset when all the boarders got turned out. As far as I am concerned, he now has the best view in the house. Hes right by the door that everyone goes out to go to the rings, take out the full wheelbarrows, turnout etc. He can literally look out his stall door, crane around and look outside and see everyone riding. He also can bother all the children since there is no bars over his door, and they love it! Its treat central. Nice and bright area of the barn, he even gets a window.
I took some video of him enjoying his quarters, that way I can watch it at work and pretend I am hanging out there nursing my giant suck instead of sitting behind a computer
So yes, he is getting spoiled rotten, as he should. I had a bit of a scare Saturday, when I thought it might have been something to do with coronet instead. He had been very good before about me cleaning and poulticing his foot, but was showing a lot of pain when i brushed around the coronet. After a few more washings, it was getting worse, but we were able to pinpoint the source of the pain, and it wasnt the coronet, it was about an inch or so down, and found some soreness on the sole too. Farrier is coming in today to inspect and drain the abscess if necessary.
So instead of a weekend full of miles, I went out morning and night to clean and poultice the hoof, and didnt go too far during the day.
GEC had thier first hunter schooling show of the year on Sunday. Everyone kept asking why i wasnt showing Bentley. Poor guy seemed to be asking the same thing too.
Poking his nose out his stall window, which has a great view of the outdoor ring and all the show happenings.
He was moved to the schoolie barn so he could be near horses that are inside pretty much all the time. He was far too upset when all the boarders got turned out. As far as I am concerned, he now has the best view in the house. Hes right by the door that everyone goes out to go to the rings, take out the full wheelbarrows, turnout etc. He can literally look out his stall door, crane around and look outside and see everyone riding. He also can bother all the children since there is no bars over his door, and they love it! Its treat central. Nice and bright area of the barn, he even gets a window.
I took some video of him enjoying his quarters, that way I can watch it at work and pretend I am hanging out there nursing my giant suck instead of sitting behind a computer
So yes, he is getting spoiled rotten, as he should. I had a bit of a scare Saturday, when I thought it might have been something to do with coronet instead. He had been very good before about me cleaning and poulticing his foot, but was showing a lot of pain when i brushed around the coronet. After a few more washings, it was getting worse, but we were able to pinpoint the source of the pain, and it wasnt the coronet, it was about an inch or so down, and found some soreness on the sole too. Farrier is coming in today to inspect and drain the abscess if necessary.
So instead of a weekend full of miles, I went out morning and night to clean and poultice the hoof, and didnt go too far during the day.
GEC had thier first hunter schooling show of the year on Sunday. Everyone kept asking why i wasnt showing Bentley. Poor guy seemed to be asking the same thing too.
Friday, June 8, 2012
i'll have another wont be having any more
Races that is.
I have a theory, Lee liked it, so I am going to post it here too.
Reports say that the horse expected to win the triple crown had to be pulled and eventually retired due to a torn tendon. This could very well be true. I tend to wonder what this will do the the breeding value of this horse.
Had he won the triple crown, his value would obviously increase immensely (as well as his movie rights!) But had he lost, what would have happened? Now we are left with the mystery of "what could have happened?" Is it possible that he could be worth more from pulling, than he would have had he lost the triple crown? I guess its up to the market to decide that, but I am interested to find out.
Perhaps the pressure was enough to pull him at the slightest damage, because with all the publicity, this horse couldn't lose. It just couldn't. Could have been a very smart value decision. The old adage "quit while you are ahead" comes to mind.
Perhaps someone with race industry experience has some thoughts on this?
I have a theory, Lee liked it, so I am going to post it here too.
Reports say that the horse expected to win the triple crown had to be pulled and eventually retired due to a torn tendon. This could very well be true. I tend to wonder what this will do the the breeding value of this horse.
Had he won the triple crown, his value would obviously increase immensely (as well as his movie rights!) But had he lost, what would have happened? Now we are left with the mystery of "what could have happened?" Is it possible that he could be worth more from pulling, than he would have had he lost the triple crown? I guess its up to the market to decide that, but I am interested to find out.
Perhaps the pressure was enough to pull him at the slightest damage, because with all the publicity, this horse couldn't lose. It just couldn't. Could have been a very smart value decision. The old adage "quit while you are ahead" comes to mind.
Perhaps someone with race industry experience has some thoughts on this?
Update on Bentley's Owies
As of last night, there was no change in his condition, and still unable to find any heat or swelling.
So now the suspected cause is an abscess in his foot. For those who don't know what that is, its basically when bacteria finds it way up into the hoof and causes an infection. The buildup of pus causes pressure that is very painful.
The farrier cant be out until Monday, so in the meantime I am going to be poulticing (applying a clay) to help soften the sole and maybe help relieve some of the pressure? Here's hoping.
Its no fun having an out of commission horse due to something that's hard to prevent.
Oh and the extra fun part? Having a young horse that has never been poulticed before. Extra fun for me never having to have done the hoof before either. Poulticed many legs, never the hoof. So my duct taping of the foot looked bulky and awkward. Luckily I had Liz holding him while I tried. Things were good until the sound of the duct tape set him off. Had I been able to wrap from the roll, maybe it wouldn't look so terrible. Lets just hope it stays on.
So now the suspected cause is an abscess in his foot. For those who don't know what that is, its basically when bacteria finds it way up into the hoof and causes an infection. The buildup of pus causes pressure that is very painful.
The farrier cant be out until Monday, so in the meantime I am going to be poulticing (applying a clay) to help soften the sole and maybe help relieve some of the pressure? Here's hoping.
Its no fun having an out of commission horse due to something that's hard to prevent.
Oh and the extra fun part? Having a young horse that has never been poulticed before. Extra fun for me never having to have done the hoof before either. Poulticed many legs, never the hoof. So my duct taping of the foot looked bulky and awkward. Luckily I had Liz holding him while I tried. Things were good until the sound of the duct tape set him off. Had I been able to wrap from the roll, maybe it wouldn't look so terrible. Lets just hope it stays on.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Abbey the Accountant
I entered the room the other day to find Abbey reviewing our hotel bill from a few weeks ago.
I dont think she approves of my expense report. Needs more Tuna.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Still catching up
After Bentley got to go to spring ride (so by now I'm only 3 weeks behind), everything we usually did when we rode became baby work.
On one day, we did a 15 mile ride. Nothing new, but the first 8 miles I had speedy horse under me. There was no more quiet trotting... my boy wanted to RUN. I think Sable must have told him that this is her technique. We ended up finishing the ride in 6.9mph. Far faster than I had intended to ride even though we walked the last several miles to bring down the speed. Well I guess we know he can handle a set speed!
On one day, we did a 15 mile ride. Nothing new, but the first 8 miles I had speedy horse under me. There was no more quiet trotting... my boy wanted to RUN. I think Sable must have told him that this is her technique. We ended up finishing the ride in 6.9mph. Far faster than I had intended to ride even though we walked the last several miles to bring down the speed. Well I guess we know he can handle a set speed!
Hang on!
The other "baby" stuff he no longer did, was happily jump the little jumps. I would point him at anything under 2 feet and he would take a full lap to bring back to a trot or at least reasonable canter. My usual training plan is that if he is going to be silly and not pay attention, he is going to have to work harder. This is what led me to set up an oxer at what I thought was about 2'9". Warmed up over a small x, turned around the corner and....
Wow this horse has wings!
As soon as he knew he was being given a chance, he was wonderful. Had a great canter and was easy to control. Just so darn happy to have the challenge. So yes, he proved his point, and I think my plan backfired... or succeeded? I really cant tell you. Oh and that jump... I measured it and it was a full 3 feet. His first time ever jumping that height.
Funny thing was the next time I rode him, he was an angel. I guess he just had to get it out of his system or maybe prove his worthiness. I don't know, but its great to see what I have to look forward to once we are more ready!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Bentley is Lame
And not the kind of lame where you wear vintage clothes to appear ironic. No, the painful kind of lame.
I went in yesterday intending to have a pretty intense ride. Walked around the outdoor ring for a bit to warm up, before picking up the trot. There it was... bob, bob, bob of the head. Had a couple of people take a look too, and it was as obvious as I thought. Even tried the indoor ring to see if it was just the slippery footing that bothered him. No luck.
Good news is we cant notice it at the walk at all, so I may still walk him around for exercise. Our best guess is that it is either an abscess or slip in the muddy paddock. I am leaning toward the latter since he was 100% sound on Sunday and knowing how things are in his new paddock.
He is in a new paddock because his grain needed to be increased and its easier for him to go with the other horses that come in for food. However, Friday night Linda called me saying my horse looked pretty miserable. The meanies of the paddock weren't letting him or Sable eat hay, and we suspect they hadn't eaten all day. He has also come in with a lot of new kick and bite marks (nothing too big, but still clearly sore). So I am guessing he has been chased off at some point and slipped in the mud.
So instead of a good intense ride, he got a big bucket of grain with extra beet pulp, a haircut, and a 30 minute massage. He sure was happy after that! I swear he gave me a kiss... there was one moment he just rested his lips against my forehead for 8-10 seconds and then gave a "smack" kissing sound and motion with the lips. Guess he liked the special treatment.
Going for a walk tonight, wish me luck.
I went in yesterday intending to have a pretty intense ride. Walked around the outdoor ring for a bit to warm up, before picking up the trot. There it was... bob, bob, bob of the head. Had a couple of people take a look too, and it was as obvious as I thought. Even tried the indoor ring to see if it was just the slippery footing that bothered him. No luck.
Good news is we cant notice it at the walk at all, so I may still walk him around for exercise. Our best guess is that it is either an abscess or slip in the muddy paddock. I am leaning toward the latter since he was 100% sound on Sunday and knowing how things are in his new paddock.
He is in a new paddock because his grain needed to be increased and its easier for him to go with the other horses that come in for food. However, Friday night Linda called me saying my horse looked pretty miserable. The meanies of the paddock weren't letting him or Sable eat hay, and we suspect they hadn't eaten all day. He has also come in with a lot of new kick and bite marks (nothing too big, but still clearly sore). So I am guessing he has been chased off at some point and slipped in the mud.
So instead of a good intense ride, he got a big bucket of grain with extra beet pulp, a haircut, and a 30 minute massage. He sure was happy after that! I swear he gave me a kiss... there was one moment he just rested his lips against my forehead for 8-10 seconds and then gave a "smack" kissing sound and motion with the lips. Guess he liked the special treatment.
Going for a walk tonight, wish me luck.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Spring Ride 2012
Spring ride could not have been more of a success for me.
Let me start off with the thing about horses and people. The thing about horses and people is they have a way of changing your plans last minute. The whole week leading up to spring ride changed so rapidly, I wont bother you with the details, just the result.
Thursday night at about 11pm, we decided Bentley was going to come along to Spring ride to learn how to camp and see all the action. We didn't really have much of a plan, but we figured we would put the horse in the trailer and figure it out from there.
Friday, I had a half day at work, and rushed immediately to the barn. I couldn't sleep the night before, so I had done all my packing. Loading Bentley was pretty easy for a first timer. Took maybe about 10 minutes and one broken lead rope. The chain got caught in the trailer and snapped, wasn't because he was being bad.
We thought traffic would be best on highway 407 considering it was a long weekend, and it was good, until we got off and realized hwy 7 was still under construction. Poor horsies stuck in trailer while we were stuck in traffic. We got to the ride site about an hour later than expected, but still with lots of daylight left.
Did I mention... we no longer have square bales at our barn and had a bit of a dilemma when bringing hay there?
The trail was beautiful as could be expected. We had 25C+ days leading up and during the ride, so it was nice and dry. Only mud we came across was towards the end on the rail trail. Unfortunately, we were the first group out (a staggered start was chosen by the ride managers... wonderful to have!) and the water truck hadn't been out yet to fill the troughs at the first stop. There was still a pond we could drink out of (errr.. the horses... I didn't drink from the pond haha). About that time, the front runners from the 50 mile endurance ride came by too.
We finished about a minute before the minimum time allowed, so we had to wait before crossing the finish line. It was good to help bring our heart rates down a little too. I was worried we had calculated our time wrong, and cutting it so close would disqualify us. As the awards went out... working their way up the places (oh and I wasn't expecting it to be placed, i thought we were graded) I got even more worried about this as I didn't hear my name. But then finally, my name was called... as first place!
After dinner and awards, we just relaxes. Sorry Bentley, we will have to postpone our ride until Sunday!
The good news continued as Linda won an award for last year for the most miles ridden by a first year rider/horse! Oh and Linda received a grade 1 completion (that's the best grade) on her 12 mile set speed.
Bentley was jealous, he wanted an award too. Bentley your time will come!
It was early to bed that night. However, I think my pit crew must have had a harder day than I thought... couldn't even make it to nightfall.
Sunday was another day of the same thing, with some differences. Again, we completed 25 miles but this time it was a Competitive Trail Ride. So it is less like a race (you have a certain time you must complete at) and judges you more based on your horses condition throughout. We got nicked pretty good for a girth sore. We were still allowed to ride, but had to change the plans. I rode in Michelle's saddle (her owner) with a VERY loose girth. I think the first 12 miles was just me getting used to the saddle. I must need some chiropractic work done, because I could really feel myself leaning to the left while cantering, and would grab the pommel and shove myself into the seat.
By the end of the ride, I could also feel me right knee acting up. I am pretty sure I rode the last 2 miles without stirrups (yes trotting too) So kids, if you are reading it, your coach isn't being mean making you post trot without stirrups... there may be a day you will kill for that skill!
We completed with 3 penalty points, largely from that girth sore, and earned a 3rd place in my division (middleweight), 5th overall.
Lee didn't take any pictures this day, but at least I remembered my GPS this time!
http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/184075710
But wait... we weren't done with Sunday. Not even close!
Linda and I had decided we were crazy enough to try our first ride and tie. So after 37 and 50 miles of riding respectively, we set out for 6 miles of running/riding with Sable. I started out as the rider, Linda as the runner.
We had smooth sailing the whole way home. We pulled into the driveway and ALL the kids came out to see us. Bentley had a huge cheering section to help him off the trailer. He still wont back up off it, but Mr. Jack B. Nimble Gianthorse somehow was able to turn around in the tight 2 horse with the divider swung to the side.
We had just gotten them off, when the trailer carrying the show kids came in behind us.
I cant remember how I spent the rest of the evening, but I am guessing I took a well deserved nap. And that's it for Spring Ride. I told you it would be worth it!
Let me start off with the thing about horses and people. The thing about horses and people is they have a way of changing your plans last minute. The whole week leading up to spring ride changed so rapidly, I wont bother you with the details, just the result.
Thursday night at about 11pm, we decided Bentley was going to come along to Spring ride to learn how to camp and see all the action. We didn't really have much of a plan, but we figured we would put the horse in the trailer and figure it out from there.
Friday, I had a half day at work, and rushed immediately to the barn. I couldn't sleep the night before, so I had done all my packing. Loading Bentley was pretty easy for a first timer. Took maybe about 10 minutes and one broken lead rope. The chain got caught in the trailer and snapped, wasn't because he was being bad.
We thought traffic would be best on highway 407 considering it was a long weekend, and it was good, until we got off and realized hwy 7 was still under construction. Poor horsies stuck in trailer while we were stuck in traffic. We got to the ride site about an hour later than expected, but still with lots of daylight left.
Did I mention... we no longer have square bales at our barn and had a bit of a dilemma when bringing hay there?
Yes, that is the major part of a round bale.
We had intended to go for a ride that night, but with the traffic delays and just "Stuff" needing to get done, we opted to postpone our ride until Saturday. Fortunately Bob (who's property we were staying on and horse I was riding) let Bentley and Sable have the executive suite (aka round pen) to stay in as we didn't trust Bentley enough on high ties or in the electric fence yet.
Saturday was the 25 mile set speed. I was riding HAF Allieena, a very experienced arab. I rode with Bob, Val and Dave. Dave was doing the silver level while the rest of us bronze. Therefore the strategy was to go at the top speed for bronze level: 7mph. 2 loops of 12 (although we suspect it was closer to 14... but I had forgot to wear my gps that day) later and we had completed. It was a fast pace, even the experienced endurance riders I was with commented how hard and fast a set speed really is. Lots of trotting and cantering, only walking the parts which were too narrow or rocky to trot.
Leena is a great little horse, we had a bit of an argument just after the start line where she decided to do a bit of bucking... I think it was just contagious from Helfire, who was giving Bob quite a difficult time. We came to an agreement and the rest of the ride was magical. She is one of those horses that you just have to trust to do her job. Point her what direction, and she says "lets go!"
Me on Leena
Helfire is living up to his name
Our group crossing the start line.
We finished about a minute before the minimum time allowed, so we had to wait before crossing the finish line. It was good to help bring our heart rates down a little too. I was worried we had calculated our time wrong, and cutting it so close would disqualify us. As the awards went out... working their way up the places (oh and I wasn't expecting it to be placed, i thought we were graded) I got even more worried about this as I didn't hear my name. But then finally, my name was called... as first place!
Big smiles as I accept my first place ribbon and get a spring ride t-shirt!
The good news continued as Linda won an award for last year for the most miles ridden by a first year rider/horse! Oh and Linda received a grade 1 completion (that's the best grade) on her 12 mile set speed.
It was early to bed that night. However, I think my pit crew must have had a harder day than I thought... couldn't even make it to nightfall.
Sunday was another day of the same thing, with some differences. Again, we completed 25 miles but this time it was a Competitive Trail Ride. So it is less like a race (you have a certain time you must complete at) and judges you more based on your horses condition throughout. We got nicked pretty good for a girth sore. We were still allowed to ride, but had to change the plans. I rode in Michelle's saddle (her owner) with a VERY loose girth. I think the first 12 miles was just me getting used to the saddle. I must need some chiropractic work done, because I could really feel myself leaning to the left while cantering, and would grab the pommel and shove myself into the seat.
By the end of the ride, I could also feel me right knee acting up. I am pretty sure I rode the last 2 miles without stirrups (yes trotting too) So kids, if you are reading it, your coach isn't being mean making you post trot without stirrups... there may be a day you will kill for that skill!
We completed with 3 penalty points, largely from that girth sore, and earned a 3rd place in my division (middleweight), 5th overall.
Lee didn't take any pictures this day, but at least I remembered my GPS this time!
http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/184075710
But wait... we weren't done with Sunday. Not even close!
Linda and I had decided we were crazy enough to try our first ride and tie. So after 37 and 50 miles of riding respectively, we set out for 6 miles of running/riding with Sable. I started out as the rider, Linda as the runner.
Our strategy was to switch every mile. So I rode up about 1 mile, tied Sable, and ran off. I later found out Sable wasn't too happy about being left, and got herself into quite the tangle.
I jogged for the first mile. Congrats to me! Then I did about 50% walking, 50% jogging, as I hadn't seen my teammates after the first mile. Also, Sable was carrying my water and I was sooooo thirsty! I will never do that again! 2 miles goes by and I start to wonder whether I had turned down the wrong trail, not only had I not seen my team, but any other horse or rider. Around 2.5 miles, I swear i hear trotting hooves coming up behind me. Checking several times with nothing materializing, I realize its the sound of my blood pounding through my head. Ok... lets just walk. Then what do you know, there they are! I know we are almost at the vet check so I tell Linda to go on. Since she started out running, she has to be the one to ride Sable into the check.
I came up to the check shortly after, and with some confusion over the rules, and Linda having to backtrack a bit (forgot to leave me the helmet!) we vetted out and hit the trail again. While I was riding down a steep hill, I look down and notice the water bottle I had lost on the CTR earlier. See, it pays to do ride and tie! We meet up with Linda somewhere down the line and switch off again.
I walked and chatted the rest of the way with Rob, who I met in the last mile. We agreed when we got to "that gate up there" we would jog in. Well I did, Rob decided to save it for the last stretch where there was an audience, so I came in slightly ahead of him. Maybe that wasn't so fair haha.
It was so wonderful as I ran up the hill and through the treeline, everyone started cheering! Something I haven't had for any of our rides yet. Really made the accomplishment feel that much bigger (however I wish I had somehow mustered up a bit more energy to run more) Turns out, we came in second too! That last little push really helped. Finished only 5 minutes behind the leaders, and everyone else followed closely too. I was a little surprised I didn't see more people on the trail!
I would highly recommend you try ride and tie. It was so much fun.
Here is our garmin results: http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/184075680
Kind of cool to see, you can tell when I started to get tired!
Needless to say however, I was DEAD after that. I managed to keep up for some of the campfire, but still called it an early night. Oh yeah, sorry Bentley, we will ride tomorrow.
And we did!
Bentley was a good boy for our ride. He was fast, probably clocking a 12mph trot. But good. At first I thought he was being naughty and running, but I relaxed and realized it was just him being fast. About a 2 hand (8 inch) difference between him and Leena, so that made a pace difference AND the trail looked very different from way up there. Just had to relax and let him trot fast. Did about 6 miles, and called it a completion!
Solstice and Phyllis were there when we came in. Solstice had met Bentley a few nights before and the two of them had hit it off. Bentley has a way of luring children in with his charms. Thankfully they helped us load him in (which took less than 60 seconds this time) and we scurried to get the last of our stuff together. At one point, I had lost track of Solstice, and found she had crawled into the hay shelf of the trailer and was cradling Bentley's head as the 2 of them snuggled. It was so cute... oh darn, where did I put my camera? Maybe we will have to stage that photo again next ride.
We had just gotten them off, when the trailer carrying the show kids came in behind us.
I cant remember how I spent the rest of the evening, but I am guessing I took a well deserved nap. And that's it for Spring Ride. I told you it would be worth it!
Friday, June 1, 2012
If you arent moving forward, kick harder
How many times do I hear coaches say this to little kids on lazy ponies? How many times do I say this myself when I toss someone up on a horse?
Well I needed an encouraging kick, and I got one today and yesterday. I have been so bad about blogging and without that kick, I was doomed to be a lazy pony forever. Not that I haven't been doing anything, quite the opposite really!
I promise, by the end of Monday, I will be posting all about Spring Ride (now 2 weeks old) and some of the excitement since then. I would do it now... but... zzzzzzzzzzz
Seriously, I have a good reason, I want to blog with photos and they are all at home.
See you Monday!
Well I needed an encouraging kick, and I got one today and yesterday. I have been so bad about blogging and without that kick, I was doomed to be a lazy pony forever. Not that I haven't been doing anything, quite the opposite really!
I promise, by the end of Monday, I will be posting all about Spring Ride (now 2 weeks old) and some of the excitement since then. I would do it now... but... zzzzzzzzzzz
Seriously, I have a good reason, I want to blog with photos and they are all at home.
See you Monday!
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