My Sweet girls

I have been so fortunate to have found such sweet little mares! Dolly is done with her 2 week break, she's fresh and ready for lessons again. She showed me this yesterday, when 19 year old Jamie had her first lesson. Dolly was an absolute angel. She jogged for her, she responded to leg cues. She transitioned beautifully. This is one of the reasons I love using Dolly as a lesson horse, she has spectacular training, but is not a push button mare.

I rode Roxy, despite being sick. I just really like to ride at my client's first lesson, to show them that I actually can. This girl wants to work on gymkhana, fantastic! I love gymkhana, and this girl is pretty capable. We practiced speed barrels, and I even let her trot the course a few times. I like my clients to work really hard on something a few times, and then let their horses walk a lap so they don't shut down or get bored. So during their cool offs, I get to practice my riding. 

When I ride it's a nice time to let them observe what they will be working up to. I just ride quietly, and I'm thankful to a have a great demonstration horse who isn't too hot. I could tell that she was excited by my run, and Roxy was too. 

I like to point out horse behavior in my lessons too, I think it's vital to be able to read horses. Roxy gets excited after running, she snorts, and chews the bit (one of the reasons that I always work her in a bit with a roller). I pointed this out to J, she nodded and I could tell that she really understood Roxy's excitement. 

Tomorrow our my group lessons. I have my little girl's lesson at 9, and my adult lesson at 11. In addition I'll be doing some stalls. Hopefully it doesn't kill me! haha I'm still pretty achy from being sick.

 My girls enjoying a little pre-lesson snack

Everyone please notice Roxy's lovely curly tail ;)

Lessons Canceled, Sick in bed

I missed a wordless Wednesday, but I promise you, I missed a lot more then that yesterday. I was so sick. I was up all night, then asleep all day. Usually when I'm sick, I'm still pretty functional. Not the case for yesterday. I was in bed (my parent's bed in fact) asleep. No knitting, no embroidery, no art, not even watching tv or on the computer.

This is one of those times when I'm glad that I still live at home. I had my parents to bring me cups of ice, medicine, and offer me food off and on all day. My parents have unique work schedules, both being self employed, so I saw them both off and on throughout the day.

I had to cancel my lesson. Unfortunately, it was both client's first lesson. I absolutely hate canceling first lessons. Scratch that, I hate to cancel lessons at all. This new job as a preschool teacher is for the income alone. It's not satisfying or rewarding. Teaching lessons is more then just for the income (which does cover more then board, feed, and my car payment). Spreading a love for horses, and giving riders a solid foundation, where they are actually learning to ride properly, is rewarding. In addition I love working with horses, and teaching the horse's themselves.

Back to the main idea though. I was so sick. Yesterday I was at like 30%, today I'm at 85% functioning. I will be out at the ranch today. Not to ride, but to pay board (I pay hay on the weekend), lunge my girls, and to teach a lesson.

Madness!

My life has been absolute chaos lately. Thus, the lack of updating. Blogging has become quite theraputic, and a nice little reflection for me. I promise once summer comes to get some new photos of my girls- I just can not stand thick bushy winter coats, yuck! Once they slick out I'll feel more like photographing them.
I finally found myself a job, but I'm still a little iffy. I'm working at my mother's preschool as an infant/toddler teacher. I'm still just a little iffy about it. My mother micromanages, and nothing is ever quite good enough. So I'm a bit worried about the job. The hours are absolute perfection, the pay is ok. I'm working 7:15-1pm, so I have the whole day to go ride, teach lessons, and what not.
Remember the black paint mare that I introduced earlier,Tahiti?

Tahiti is now my trainer (and myself's) newest lesson horse! We decide to keep her, despite the fact that she's a giant. Tahiti is around 20, and dead broke. She is now an intermediate lesson horse in our program! I am so excited that she is off the market, and we're keeping her! Our lesson horse gang is quite fantastic if I might say so myself. We now have 2 beginners (Fred, General); and 2 intermediate horses (Charlie,and Tahiti). and 3 cross over horses (Damascus, Dolly, and Sparkles)! That gives us 7 horses to match with our riders, and we usually find a great fit- plus our pony Boo-Boo whom is currently on all alfalfa and too hot for lessons. Once she calms down she'll make a great beginner horse.
Speaking of lessons, they have really picked up! My little girls lesson is going quite well. My show prospect, 10 year old V just started trotting! And we found V's horse- Sparkles, they make a fantastic pair. I have thought briefly about starting some roping again. They also have team penning down the road, I might see about starting Roxy on that. I heard that she loves cows- so we'll see! I'll try to get some experience, and perhaps some photos too.

Partners

Yesterday I taught a lesson, or should I say I organised a lesson. My trainer secretly loves to teach me group lessons. Now don't get me wrong- I absolutely love having her help. But I know that she loves teaches the group lessons. The lesson yesterday went well, I had 3 little girls. They did pretty good. The practiced ground poles, a figure 8 across the arena, and then the advanced kids practiced trotting, and my bravest little girl got to lope! She did so good! When she told her horse to stop though she's so tiny, she popped off the front of the saddle, and ended up on her horse's neck! Which is funny because I am constantly telling her to keep her legs forward, now she saw exactly what happens when you don't!

One horse, Fred, was being bad, and I had reprimanded him a few times (with a jerk on the bit from the ground). He didn't want to walk for the little girl, so I walked over to him. Fred knew I was going to disciplined him, and he took off bucking and bolting. He was not trying to get her off though, he was just bucking at me and she happened to be on top. My trainer and mother both thought that she was coming off, but I just did not. I told her to keep her legs forward and pull back on the reins. She of course did not, but he stopped about a 1/4 down the arena from me, with the little girl still on top!

Now I had to go rescue her, but Fred still didn't want me near him. I told him hoe, and stand, had her pull back on the reins, and quietly approached him. We pulled her off, poor little girl was crying. I got on the old man and loped him aggressively for about 20min. Fred is pleasure broke, and has a big goofy lope, so my hips are still killing me.

The little girl was calmed down, do we wanted to get her back up. We pulled the biggest girl (who was on the most gentle horse), off of General, and we put her onto Fred. Then the little girl who almost came off was put on General, and I walked around with her for a bit so she'd feel comfortable. She ended up able to walk alone by the time free time came around!

An unrelated Photo of Dolly

Later that day I went to buy some Super 14 (a coat enhancement supplement), some 4 way for my trainer, and my mom got senior feed for Dolly (I guess the photo was related!). We also brought pizzas and had a little party before putting up a corral. We all visited, then everyone but my mother, trainer, and myself left. We were reminiscing the good old days, I used to be rather sassy ;) and my trainer hated dealing with me. But she liked how I rode, so she stuck with me.

My trainer at one point told me "And now we're partners!" Oh my goodness. My trainer doesn't give praise very often, so when she does it means that much more. She also told me that her husband was putting on the pressure for the family to move closer to where he works. And she told me that she would leave me as the manager when she left. A dream come true. I think the ranch is 10 acres, it has a fantastic $5000 arena that has been well kept. It is just fantastic in my eyes. I know that it is a little janky right now, but I feel like I could really make it great. My heart is in it, this is what I want to do. I know that my trainer saying that might mean it'll happen in a couple of years, but just knowing that she knows that I can do it is extremely powerful.

I am heading out there again today to ride the 'Black Bitch'. A horse that was not 'abused' as in beaten, but she was severely neglected. She is an absolutely lovely paint mare, a big thick blaze, 4 white legs, and a big white spot hidden under her belly. She is also the second meanest horse I have ever met. She pins her ears when you come up to her with a bucket of grain. What horse does that? I'll report on 'the black bitch' later today or tomorrow.

Today I was hired for a job! I am the new Receptionist at a Pet Grooming Salon. The job is about 20min from my house, but it's on the way to the ranch. I am so excited about it. It's only 15-20hours a week so nothing too crazy. But it will be a little more cash, which means I can pay off my car and student loans quickly!

I was working on a little DIY project today. I made some alterations to my horse's neck sweat, so it will actually stay on her, instead of flipping up like a cone (so funny I'll upload some pictures soon). I will finish that tomorrow, and bring my tripod, so I can take some videos of my riding.

Lately I have been feeling off. I had a group lesson on Saturday, and I just thought it was a mess, and that I'm not a very strong trainer. Which leads me to thinking that I'm not a strong rider. And there is always more to learn, but I'm in a bit of a slump when it comes to training and riding. I wish I had better lesson horses. But I know that I really just need to learn their quirks. Fred doesn't like to go out in the morning and I have to ride him first, Dumaskus needs to use the orthopedic pad, Charlie needs to be turned out first. All of those little things that make a huge difference in the horse.

I told my trainer how I was feeling, that I need more experience before I can take on a group of that size, 5 riders. She assured me that I could do it. She said that she would help me to assign the girl's horses, and that would make a world of a difference. Something else she suggested was to use patterns. Here is the example that she gave during my lesson.

We taught the girls how to walk over ground poles, really lift their body with their thighs, and give their horse their face. Then we took the ground poles and put them next to each other long ways straight down the middle of the arena. and had the girls do serpentine across them. How simple, right? It made a world of a difference.

What patterns/exercises does your trainer have you do?

Little Girls

So I have started what I'm calling my 'Little girls lesson' I have 4 girls, ages 9-15 that are riding together in a group lesson. One of the girls is a gymkhana rider, who I'm trying so desperately to put a foundation back onto. She was riding 100% finished barrel horses, and just hanging on and letting them run the pattern. So this poor child thinks that she can ride, when in reality it's a miracle she isn't falling off. We've been working together for over a month now, and she's starting to become such a good little rider!

So I've decided that at this lesson on Saturday the girls will work on speed barrels. It's a basic gymkhana pattern, that the youngest can demonstrate, and they can all do. Also we want to work on everyone's seat, and getting them sitting properly.

So I'm very excited about this lesson Saturday! I think the girls are going to do spectacularly. Oh and horses, I'm writing this down so I don't forget.

The youngest on Charlie, next on Sparkles, next on Jasmine, and the oldest on Dolly!

Charlie is a lovely, big brown quarter horse. He's all around broke, but mostly western pleasure.
Sparkles is a tall ex reining horse.
Jasmine is a friend of mine's she's hanoverian/quarter horse, and pleasure broke- she used to do gymkhana and a little jumping too though.
Dolly- well Dolly is one of mine that I introduced early.

And I'll ride my trusty steed, Roxy. Hopefully she'll surprise me with more of her pleasant antics this weekend.