Gah

Yesterday I had one of those fabulous rides that keep making my desion harder and harder to keep him or not. Now this ride was no were near perfect but he gave me 200%. To me that is what really matters but I dont know if even great rides like last night will get be where i need to be going in the show ring. I was doing hunter stuff last night btw.

Well im looking at barns tonight then greys!

The limit

Have you ever wondered if you are pushing your horse too hard? If are are taking him in the wrong direction? I ask myself these questions almost everyday.

Is it right to be pushing a horse that is not built for dressage in dressage work? When he could excel in other areas? My horse is not built for dressage at all. He is down hill and straight legged. Some people think you can train a horse to do anything. But the question is...is it the right thing to do?

I want to be a competative rider and this is what I want to do with my life but my horse is holding me back. I can school alot higher than what I am able to school on my horse. I dont know what I should do should I sell him to a home that wont push him enough. The only prob with this is I am in a contract and cannot sell him for 5 years. and I really do love this horse dearly he has the best personality that I have ever seen. The trait I like most about him is that he is always trying he never just flipps out when trying something new he always gives me 110% all the time even is that might not be very pretty.

I am starting to think that I am making the wrong deciosion in pushing him I see him not being as happy as he used to me and asking like an old school horse when he is only 10. The vet has checked him over and nothing is wrong with him.

I quess I dont know if I should allow my fondness of him to hold back my competeative career. There is no way I can afford two horses either dispite my efforts.

Barn Drama

People who tend to find themselves in drama alot are usually the cause. People may get upset by this but I find it very true in my own life.

Anyone who rides shares one thing in common DRAMA. I dont know why there is so much drama at barn... Maybe its because it is something we all love and emotions are high, competitive, and other thing. Something I tend to find is alot of barn people have nothing else in their lives to worry about. They need something to be consumed by because they have nothing else.

I know this sounds very harsh but its true and we all do it including myself i hate to say. The sad thing is it is so accepted in our daily life that people dont even reliese it anymore. I think the same concept applys to everyone not equatrians alike.

Alot of the time the innocent get wrapped up in the stupid drama too words get twisted lies get told people stick thier noses where they dont belong. The biggest issue I find is that people take things out of context.

We all must have to have a sense of humor about life in general relax nothing is as big as a deal as it is bad out to be. If you dont make it an issue it wont be an issue. End of Sorry.

Bad Timing

Dont horses have the worst timing ever? Do they know when something big is coming up? Well I had been riding vodka mainly hunter recently to get ready for his first hunter show that was two weeks ago(he did great). But the next thing on our plate is to go to a USDF show we leave on friday. Last Wedsday was going to be his first time back in the dressage saddle his shoe was a little loose not much at all so I was going to do a light ride in the indoor with him but he was lame like head bobbing lame. So I gave him half a gram of bute bc i thought it had to me something with the shoe. I just wanted him to be comfortable until the farrier could come out. The next day i went out to check on him and he ripped off like half of his off wall. I called the farrier and he said dont pull the shoe just duck tape it so i did and he was lame poor thing. So now his hoof is patched and he is almost sound. I was riding on friday and he decided so learn how to buck its just perfect just perfect i guess it is just...bad timing...

Fence

Well as you guys all know Vodka and I have our first hunter show on sunday so, on monday I was taking my normal jumping lesson but it was cold and rainy but no thunder or lightning so the jumping went on. Vodka usually isnt one to be a speed demon or not pay attention to half halts but, monday he completely tuned me out. After a line he would just run and no pay attention to me so I did what I had to do and run him into a fence. But after raming him in a fence a few times I was able to come to a halt after each line. Once I had his respect everything was good we were then able to canter the whole course landing on the right leads everytime he was perfect. I hated what I had to do to get his attention but I guess it is the end product the counts.

Well now im off to the barn. I have some people looking to buy my dressage saddle. I need to clip vodka cut his mane(his main is wayyyyy to thin to pull i hate it) and trim up his mane c yah!

shows....?

Well vodka is mainly a dressage horse but he really likes the hunter stuff and is good at it keeping in mind he is still very green. He never refuses a jump and is very willing. He doesnt always get the right distance but that will come with expirance. He jumps uberly round so he can be hard to stay with. Even for little jumps my crest releace has to be up by his ears and we just looks rediculous doing that.

Well I decided to take vodka to his first hunter show. Its just a little showing show. But im still not sure what classes to enter him in. I want to keep the jumps much smaller than what we do at home so the show is a completely good expireance for both of us. The only thing im worried about is those dredded flowers.

Once we went to my trainer's house to school over flowers and he jumped it all right way over jumped it actually. He even managed to snort at the flowers while he was going over the jump now that some really talent. He was also scared out of his mind because everything had spots there the dogs,horses and even some jumps the idea of spots just blew his mind silly horse. There was one other thing that completely blew his mind...mini donkeys omg i know scariest thing ever. What are they small horses? Funny looking dogs? Why do they have spots? Im sure all of these questions were going throught vodka's little mind. Okay well im off to the garden!

A bad lesson

Well today I had a lesson on Vodka with my barn's trainer. I have'nt had a lesson with her in a long time. Now let me was this lesson was...how to describe it...umm crappy might be putting it too nice but you have the idea.

It took V almost 20 minutes to even warm up enough to truely be in self carriage. He only ussually takes about 10 if that. He was all over the place and was nearly impossible to get straight he kept dropping his shoulder. This annoys me soooo much because he hasnt done this in a long time. I have no had either of these issues in months. Vodka was tense and not relaxed at all very annoying.

Now everything he is in the ring with my trainer he does this. Could he not like her this much? At first I thought it was me but when I ride other horses in lessons with her they go really well. The horses are good and the lessons are fun and upbeat. Everytime I have a lesson with V it goes not so hot. Vodka and I are good with my hunter trainer and the dressage trainers. Does anyone have any ideas what to do? Lessons with me Vodka and Kristin just dont click. Oh well...

Horses and Fire works...

Well as you can tell this would be a interesting post. As we all know horses and fireworks never mix. Well I thought people just did fire works on the 4th but little did I know they do them on the 3rd too! The horses are now on night turnout so, hosing Matty off from a great ride and all of the sudden Kabboooom!!! All the horses in the fields start running around in panic. The calm down so I continue giving Matthew his well deserved bath I put him in his stall and then guess what kaaaboom!!! Once again the horses start running around like retards again. Well the all settled down again except for the fours mares.

Well in this field of mares there is a little arab who likes to beat the crap out of the other horses she just kept running about and kicking,biting ect ect. The new mare in the field buttercup was scared out of her mind first the sky is exploding and now this little arab is beating the crap out of her. So I brought butter in (still scared out of her mind) and checked her for cuts and then put her in her stall.

Then, I tacked up my horse Vodka and he was already pissed because he had been kept in because I wanted to ride. Well this ride was strangly fantastic fire works and all. He had so much energy it was just great. He had really great lateral work today, his yeilds had nice cross and hunchs in you could really feel him step under. His canter work was nice and expressive even though he was a little spooky(well alot) but it was fun. Then the fire works just started going off left and right and he got to worked up so I cooled him out and put him in his field.

And of course the mares needed in because they just wouldnt calm down. By the end of the night most of the horses were in there stalls. Oh well for night turnout its the fireworks fault. Well needless to say all of the horses are staying in tonight because Im sure there will be even more fireworks.

Who is right?

Well some issues have come up in my local dressage club with sanctioning shows. They have a rule that a show must have thier papers in at least 30days before the show along with thier money. Well one of the local show barns sent in thier papers about 20 days before thier day with money but they are $5 short.

Should thier show be sanctioned?

I dont think it should because the club should follow all thier rules and making exceptions for one person will just give people the wrong idea. So they make an exception for one person and then someone else asks for the same deal...do you see the problem? I dont think the five bucks is a big deal it is just the fact that they did not follow the rules therefore (in my mind atleast) the show should not get sanctioned. Well the board of the club sanctioned the show. The vote was over by only one vote.

The beginning

I started out pretty much the same way every little girl did. Taking pony rides at the fair and then moving up to riding horses at summer camp. When I was 13 or so I started taking dressage lessons and a farm close to where I live. That december my parents suprised me with my very own horse named Vodka. He is a registered QH under the name of Order Me Ashot. He is a 16 HH bay gelding. He has this random spot on the right side of his neck for no reason once so ever wierd huh? Well it helps the judges remember him which can either be a good or a bad thing. Vodka was trained in Westren Pleasure and Halter. Well V is slowly in the transition into the enlgish world. Now he is mainly a dressage horse but he loves to jump and is awesome at it. Me on the other hand not soo much.

Well stay tuned for my daily adventues they will be pretty funny!!!