I've been gone for a while, and now I'm back. I just haven't had time to sit down and blog. I've been super busy making big-kid decisions and being a grown-up, which, incase you guys didn't know this, isn't all that fun.
I have a real job now, working at Macy's selling Womens Shoes. At least I did, I don't know if I still do. I was hired on as a Seasonal Worker and now the season is over. I filled out the "Are you interested in still working for us" survey saying I was but I have yet to hear whether or not I still am. On top of this I'm now the Barn Manager at Shur'tugal Equestrian Centre, which takes up all the time that I'm not selling shoes or doing homework, and sometimes some of the time that I should be doing homework.
As for the aforementioned homework, I'm taking 16 credits this upcoming quarter, but some of them are fluff classes, like Equine Conformation and Performance. Should be fun and easy, and only 2 credit hours.
Lipton is slowly progressing, though because of work and a lack of arena lights I have not been able to rehab him every day as I should so I've voulentarily dropped his rehab back by one month. This means that Feburary he can go back to work. I'm thinking we may not even be trying out this year at this rate, but we'll see. He is super sound though, he's just going crazy not being allowed to do anything.
I have a woman from California interested in Abby, which is very good, and I've decided to sell Stef. If anybody knows of a person looking for a Thoroughbred Broodmare who is approved Trakehner send them my way.
I guess that's really all I have for right now. I'll try to be better at this blogging thing. Sigh.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Forgetting the Important Things
And of course I forgot the most important thing of all today!
Rare Prestige STS (Gabriel), my first baby, now 2 years old was ranked 29th in the nation for the United States Dressage Federation Dressage Sport Horse In-Hand Horse of the Year for 2 Year Old Colts and Geldings with a total score of 69.4%.
Okay, that's a mouthful. I'm so proud of him! He went to 2 shows, Beaujolais and the Breeders Classic. At Beaujolais he won his 2 year old class with a score of 78.2% which also led him to being Reserve Champion Colt/Gelding behind a 3 year old Stallion, and then 4th place Young Horse. He did not have such good fortune at the Breeders Classic, scoring only a 66.3% on day 1. The judge had a type in mind, and that type was not Gabriel. Day 2 his scores improved slightly with a 70.3% and a 68.5%.
Anyways, I guess that's a good light to shine on all the bad things going on my horsey-life right now.
Rare Prestige STS (Gabriel), my first baby, now 2 years old was ranked 29th in the nation for the United States Dressage Federation Dressage Sport Horse In-Hand Horse of the Year for 2 Year Old Colts and Geldings with a total score of 69.4%.
Okay, that's a mouthful. I'm so proud of him! He went to 2 shows, Beaujolais and the Breeders Classic. At Beaujolais he won his 2 year old class with a score of 78.2% which also led him to being Reserve Champion Colt/Gelding behind a 3 year old Stallion, and then 4th place Young Horse. He did not have such good fortune at the Breeders Classic, scoring only a 66.3% on day 1. The judge had a type in mind, and that type was not Gabriel. Day 2 his scores improved slightly with a 70.3% and a 68.5%.
Anyways, I guess that's a good light to shine on all the bad things going on my horsey-life right now.
Hopes Falling
I've been so busy with homework that I haven't had time to go walk and jog Lipton like I should be. It's so depressing to sit here and see everyone else schooling 2's and 1's with their horses and I can't even ride mine. He looks okay when he jogs, but still not perfectly right. We're halfway through the treatment and rehab process, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel...kinda...but this is just really hard for me. There's one horse in the barn I can ride: Inky. I love him dearly, but he's not going to get me anywhere anymore. We maxed out and I'm happy with that, but I feel like even just hacking him now isn't going to be fun. I want Lipton back. I want to be able to go down to the barn and tack up that big Orange thing that my parents have invested so much money into. I want to be able to go into the arena and do half pass and changes and pirouettes. If nothing else, I want to be able to TRY. I hate how I've put so much time and energy and money into this and I'm not getting anything out of it anymore. And maybe I'm being a selfish teenager, but maybe I'm not. And right now I'm just feeling like giving up. Sigh. I just wish I could do SOMETHING. Anything.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Long Time No Post
So, it's been a while since I've blogged. I got really busy and halfway forgot I even had this thing until Jeremy Steinberg started the new Region 6 Young Rider website and was asking for blogs. Seeing as there's a now a link from there to here, I should probably use this darn thing again.
Lipton is getting progressively better. He's sound to jog now, and he's quite sure he can do much more. I have learned many things in this journey with an injured horse. Such as: Garbage cans must be avoided at all costs, along with FedEx trucks, mailboxes, bushes, dogs, and the occasional car. The arena is apparently a much safer place to rehab, unless of course there are other horses... or tractors... or mounting blocks.
I have taken a break on working with Gabriel. He has officially been backed and trotted under saddle, but I'm too busy to work with him and he is only 2 and a half. I figure I'll give him until mid-November to be a baby again and then basically re-break him. He is quite bored in his stall and thoroughly enjoys spooking all the horses coming in from turnout by bolting in and out of his stall. He's a demon.
Inky and I are done showing, probably forever. I took him to fair and we did amazing. We were the overall Grand Champion in Dressage and received our Platinum medal in Dressage with a 69.5% on our freestyle. Before this, the highest score we had ever received together on a freestyle was about a 64.75%, so getting the 69.5 was an amazing feeling. I'm so proud of him, there aren't even words. We followed up that win with a Reserve Grand Champion at State for First level. I was happy with it. He's obviously more blind than he was at this time last year, and he never really settled into the State arena with his right eye out, despite being okay with his left eye out. It's strange to think that I'll most likely never enter a show arena with him again. He's brought me so far, but there's nowhere else to go.
On the note of State, I was also the champion Public Speaking contestant at the State Fair. You know what that means? I get another all-expense paid trip to Kentucky for 10 days in November. We're touring a lot of the same places as last year (Hill'n'Dale, Normandy, Kentucky Horse Park, Louisville Slugger Museum, etc.) but we're also going a few new places (Locust Grove, Civil War Museum at Bardstown, Frazier International Museum of History, Dinosaur World, etc). I need to practice a lot before we leave on the 4th, but I remember a lot more of my speech than I thought I would.
So basically, life has been exciting. Oh, and I no longer have Xander. He's happy in his new home with 8 other miniatures and a person who will love him and pay so much attention to him he'll get sick of it. One down, one to go.
Yeah, that's it. The end.
Lipton is getting progressively better. He's sound to jog now, and he's quite sure he can do much more. I have learned many things in this journey with an injured horse. Such as: Garbage cans must be avoided at all costs, along with FedEx trucks, mailboxes, bushes, dogs, and the occasional car. The arena is apparently a much safer place to rehab, unless of course there are other horses... or tractors... or mounting blocks.
I have taken a break on working with Gabriel. He has officially been backed and trotted under saddle, but I'm too busy to work with him and he is only 2 and a half. I figure I'll give him until mid-November to be a baby again and then basically re-break him. He is quite bored in his stall and thoroughly enjoys spooking all the horses coming in from turnout by bolting in and out of his stall. He's a demon.
Inky and I are done showing, probably forever. I took him to fair and we did amazing. We were the overall Grand Champion in Dressage and received our Platinum medal in Dressage with a 69.5% on our freestyle. Before this, the highest score we had ever received together on a freestyle was about a 64.75%, so getting the 69.5 was an amazing feeling. I'm so proud of him, there aren't even words. We followed up that win with a Reserve Grand Champion at State for First level. I was happy with it. He's obviously more blind than he was at this time last year, and he never really settled into the State arena with his right eye out, despite being okay with his left eye out. It's strange to think that I'll most likely never enter a show arena with him again. He's brought me so far, but there's nowhere else to go.
On the note of State, I was also the champion Public Speaking contestant at the State Fair. You know what that means? I get another all-expense paid trip to Kentucky for 10 days in November. We're touring a lot of the same places as last year (Hill'n'Dale, Normandy, Kentucky Horse Park, Louisville Slugger Museum, etc.) but we're also going a few new places (Locust Grove, Civil War Museum at Bardstown, Frazier International Museum of History, Dinosaur World, etc). I need to practice a lot before we leave on the 4th, but I remember a lot more of my speech than I thought I would.
So basically, life has been exciting. Oh, and I no longer have Xander. He's happy in his new home with 8 other miniatures and a person who will love him and pay so much attention to him he'll get sick of it. One down, one to go.
Yeah, that's it. The end.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Dressage at Devonwood and Gabriel Donatello
I went to Devonwood this past weekend to fund raise for the Region 6 Young Riders. I haven't counted yet but I believe I made about $150 over the weekend, plus or minus a few. Not bad considering I was the only one there. Catherine offered use of her Revere booth for me to fundraise out of, which made sitting in the 102 degree weather at least bearable, having her to talk to and keep me company. Overall I believe it was a pretty successful show for the Young Riders.
At the show you can see the Terrace Arena and half the Sand Arena from where we were in the Vendor area, so it was cool to be able to watch people we know without having to really go anywhere. On the downside, there was a pretty Dutch mare by Houston who looked almost exactly like Lipton and everytime I saw her she made me wish that he was there and that I was riding instead of fundraising. It's only been a month and I already miss showing so much. I would like to fastforward the next 5 months so that my horse is rideable again and we can train to PSG and get to Young Riders next year.
On the note of Gabriel Donatello, we've begun the hardcore process of backing him. A few weeks ago I layed over him while he was standing at the mounting block. Today, I stood full-weight into the left stirrup and he just stood there, perfectly fine. I also layed over him and Emma lead him around the arena a few times, gradually further and further from the block. Yet again, he was perfectly fine. After that, Emma long-lined him to work on steering. He was amazingly amazing. He seems to really want to do his job, and I never thought I'd be this proud of him.
Anyways, that's about it for what I've been up to. I'm headed off to work for Carolynn this weekend at the Donida Summer Show. The sign-ups thing has actually been going really well. There were tons of sign-ups at Champagne Classic which left us running around everywhere. I was supposed to fundraise all weekend and wound up taking pictures instead. Ah, well, money for Young Riders vs. Money for Me. I choose Money for me.
At the show you can see the Terrace Arena and half the Sand Arena from where we were in the Vendor area, so it was cool to be able to watch people we know without having to really go anywhere. On the downside, there was a pretty Dutch mare by Houston who looked almost exactly like Lipton and everytime I saw her she made me wish that he was there and that I was riding instead of fundraising. It's only been a month and I already miss showing so much. I would like to fastforward the next 5 months so that my horse is rideable again and we can train to PSG and get to Young Riders next year.
On the note of Gabriel Donatello, we've begun the hardcore process of backing him. A few weeks ago I layed over him while he was standing at the mounting block. Today, I stood full-weight into the left stirrup and he just stood there, perfectly fine. I also layed over him and Emma lead him around the arena a few times, gradually further and further from the block. Yet again, he was perfectly fine. After that, Emma long-lined him to work on steering. He was amazingly amazing. He seems to really want to do his job, and I never thought I'd be this proud of him.
Anyways, that's about it for what I've been up to. I'm headed off to work for Carolynn this weekend at the Donida Summer Show. The sign-ups thing has actually been going really well. There were tons of sign-ups at Champagne Classic which left us running around everywhere. I was supposed to fundraise all weekend and wound up taking pictures instead. Ah, well, money for Young Riders vs. Money for Me. I choose Money for me.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
It Finally Happened...
The vet came out to see Lipton on Tuesday, and we discovered one of our worst fears. He hasn't torn anything, but his Deep Digital Flexor Tendon is so weak that we have to treat it like it's torn. It was confirmed that he is made of cotton candy and eggshells.
So he's on 6 months of rehab and he's walk only until about 3 and a half months into the whole thing. He can't be seriously worked again until freaking JANUARY. So I don't get to show until next year, at least not anything more than 4-H and In-Hand. This has sent me into a spin of not wanting to do anything anymore. The barn is the last place I want to be right now, but I know I don't have a choice, especially since I'm moving in there on Monday.
This is going to be a very long six months, and I'd rather it be over right now. =(
So he's on 6 months of rehab and he's walk only until about 3 and a half months into the whole thing. He can't be seriously worked again until freaking JANUARY. So I don't get to show until next year, at least not anything more than 4-H and In-Hand. This has sent me into a spin of not wanting to do anything anymore. The barn is the last place I want to be right now, but I know I don't have a choice, especially since I'm moving in there on Monday.
This is going to be a very long six months, and I'd rather it be over right now. =(
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
So Close
I'm so close to being done. I graduate in NINE days. Erin and Andy arrived today and it's freaking sweet! Except for the part where they're leaving to go backpacking and then coming back.
I'm done with almost everything in school. I have my Chemistry final on Thursday and I have one last project to finish up for English, and two more sections in Math, and then I'm dooooooone. Like, never have to do anything in High School ever agian. I had my last Criminal Justice and Equine Studies classes today, as well as my last Chemistry class and full English class. We technically have school Thursday but I'm leaving for Beaujolais so I can only come for the morning. How awesome is that? I'm still terrified, but the closer I get, the more excited I get.
Scary.
I'm done with almost everything in school. I have my Chemistry final on Thursday and I have one last project to finish up for English, and two more sections in Math, and then I'm dooooooone. Like, never have to do anything in High School ever agian. I had my last Criminal Justice and Equine Studies classes today, as well as my last Chemistry class and full English class. We technically have school Thursday but I'm leaving for Beaujolais so I can only come for the morning. How awesome is that? I'm still terrified, but the closer I get, the more excited I get.
Scary.
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