The Fit Equestrienne

Lookey What I Found

2012-01-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

http://reasonstobefit.tumblr.com/page/6

Love it. I briefly considered printing some of these out. Perhaps I will later when my motivation is low. Right now I'm on a weight-loss roll, so motivation is not what I'm lacking!!

One-Week Resolutions

2012-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I suck at New Year's resolutions. I have some kind of resolution ADD. I stick with them for about, oh, a week. Or less. So I have developed a system of "one-week resolutions" or "two-week resolutions" if I'm feeling particularly ambitious.

These are easier to swallow than an entire year. And really, in weight loss, just like in training horses, sometimes you just have to change your plan. Everyone has bad days. Sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have.

So my "One-Week Resolution" is to use this cool Calorie Counter app I have on my new Droid. I need to get back in the habit of watching what I eat now that the holidays are over. My other "One-Week Resolution" is to get my dog in the habit of going for a walk in the mornings. My diabolical plan is that if he gets used to the idea, then after my week is over he will continue to bug me every morning. He's very convincing when he wants to be.

My "Two-Week Resolution" is to work my horses more consistently. That is open for interpretation, but in my mind, though I haven't formulated the details, it means that I will work all horses equally. No more focusing on one horse and letting the other 3 sit around. I rode Footloose the other day and realized that I hadn't ridden her in about a month. She's so easy that I tend to put her on the back burner. I don't even know why- she is so much fun to ride. I just feel the need to focus on the more green horses like Stretch.

I'm hoping that after this two-week resolution is over, I will still be motivated to try another two weeks. Then another. I believe that habits are built in increments.

Pony's new rider is MIA...

2011-12-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

So, I know that I mentioned that someone wanted to lease the pony. Awesome, right? Yeah... that was a few weeks ago and I haven't heard squat since.

But really, would it be such a bad thing if I had to hang on to her forever? I adore this pony. I am secretly coveting her as my next dressage project. (Okay, Stretch technically is my "dressage horse," but wouldn't the cute white 13.2h pony be a fun little side project??)

Last night I decided to ride her. She needed to be ridden anyway, and she was such a saint for Potential Buyer that I was... well, I was inspired. The once-crazy Drama pony who once-upon-a-time wouldn't let anyone lead her without, well, drama had somehow transformed into a nice, well-behaved packer.

Okay, I'm not sure that she is truly a packer. The girl who wanted to try her told me that she was roughly an intermediate rider. I think the pony can handle intermediate. I think. At least she wasn't a beginner, right? WRONG. This girl didn't even know how to put a halter on. She did swear up and down that she has ridden before, so against my better judgement I let her climb aboard.

At first the pony was all, "WTF is this? Why is there someone strange on me?" and then she got a wide-eyed look, as if she was telling me, "Ooooh, I see. She is clueless. That means... *gulp*... I have to be in charge??"

The Pony, bless her heart, is very submissive and always low horse on the totem pole. She is highly trainable because of that. She just naturally wants to please whomever is in charge. The person on her was definitely not in charge, and they both looked a little lost.

After a bit of convincing, Drama reluctantly walked forward. Until Possible Buyer became a bit wobbly, and then Drama froze. Good pony. PB wanted to trot at some point during the ride, and Drama soundly said, "Uh, no, notsomuch." (This from the pony whose favorite speed is "go.") I was impressed. This pony does have a sense of self-preservation. She was downright cautious with this rank beginner and was absolutely saintly on a loose rein.

So fast forward to last night (sorry, I de-railed). I decided to ride Ms. Saintly Pony (whom, by the way, can definitely tell when it's me up there because she no longer feels the need to be cautious). It was windy last night. Like, really windy. The type of windy that leaves tree branches scattered across the roads. Why I felt the need to ride my most spooky equine in the middle of a violent wind storm is somewhat beyond me. I've definitely made smarter decisions in my life. But heck, I had a whole new outlook on the pony! She was GOOD! She just packed a beginner around like the girl was instead a Faberge egg balanced precariously on her back! Surely a little wind would be no match for my New and Improved Pony!

Riiiiight.

She was pretty convinced that Chupacabra was trying to get in the barn to eat us both. After several spin-and-bolt attempts (too bad for her I am damn good at riding those out now) I finally got her working on a 20m circle at the far end of the arena- away from the gate and the pony-eating Chupacabra. After she settled down a bit I called it a night and quickly got off, thanking God that I lived to blog about it today.

Reformed pony, my ass.

I still really want to keep her, though.

The Smurf

2011-12-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

Have you seen my horse trailer? You know, the one I refuse to put my horses in?

Granted, the frame is sturdy. I have hauled horses in it before. I don't have pictures of it (too ashamed) but a google images search found me one just like it. Like, it could be its twin:

It's even the same blue.

We call it "The Smurf."

Here's why I hate it:

1.) Lost title. Granted, lots of horse trailers have missing titles, but I am paranoid. I did call the DMV and apparently the way to get a title is to haul it back up to WA (we got it in Vancouver), have WSP's Vin inspector try to get the vin off of it (I tried. It's not legible. It's all rusted off. I can make out maybe 2 characters.) If they can't read the vin, they have to assign it a new one. HUGE pain in the ass, and probably a lot of money to get done.

2.) Only 2 of the 5 tires (including the spare) are actual trailer tires rated for that amount of weight. The rest are "economy car" tires. The Les Schwab guy warned me that they aren't rated for horse trailers. I could only afford to replace the two that weren't holding air at that time, so that's why 2 of them are nice. I obsess over it when I have a horse in their. I have visions of tire blowouts. Eventually I would like to get ALL of the tires switched over to the correct type. But seeing as how the trailer itself was only $500, and each tire is about $150, I am having a hard time justifying the cost. So my game plan was to replace them one at a time as the rest of the car tires died a slow death. It is currently sitting with 2 flats. One on the trailer, and my spare is flat (well, the actual "spare" is on the trailer... to replace the flat one...) Yeah, I still don't have money to get new tires.

3.) The wiring went out last year, and Katie's non-mechanically-inclined stepdad attempted to re-wire it. It's Jimmy-rigged somehow. Not sure how. Enough said.

4.) I re-did the floors myself. It's sturdy as hell. They don't make steel trailers like they used to. I *do* like that it's small enough that it's lightweight and well built, but there is a spot on the inside that has been so rusted that I can see daylight through it. It's where the front of the manger meets the floor (by where the horses' front feet would go). When I was replacing the floor, we found out that it isn't a structural weight bearing thing, so it's still technically safe. But it freaks me the fuck out. I shouldn't be able to see the ground from the inside of the trailer. I want someone to weld it back together. I'm anal-retentive like that

5.) I find it embarrassing to bring anywhere. Can you imagine how humiliating it is to show up to a horse show with The Smurf? And park it in the middle of a sea of beautiful, shiny, white trailers? I know, it's a silly reason to hate that thing. But look at this one:

Oh yes, that's the same effing trailer as the one above. From the same website. Someone showing their restoration project. I LOVE it!! They did a good job. I wouldn't mind bringing that thing to a horse show. And it kills me that it's the same goddamn trailer. [Insert: whiny voice] I want MY trailer to look that nice! I would be a badass showing up to a show in this!

(I'll admit, at first I wasn't a fan of the red interior, but it's really growing on me- looks neat and sporty. But due to horses not liking loading into dark places, I would only want it if the interior light got fixed. See #3, above.)

Sooo... my big debate now is: would this much of a project be worth keeping? It is structurally sound. It's paid for. It's not a horrible trailer.... Deep down I kinda *like* working on projects... Just don't tell anyone- I think I'm part guy in that respect... But oh, yeah, I'm poor.

Sometimes things have to fall apart...

2011-12-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

... before they can be put back together again. :-)

So my life for the last few months has been seriously messed up. Unemployed, unemployment insurance ran out, still unemployed, The Boy is being an asshole, I have 4 horses to feed, blah blah blah.

In the last two weeks, the following wonderful things have happened:

1.) I have someone interested in the pony. :-) She already came out to meet her, but there was a Christmas party happening in the arena, so she couldn't ride. She's coming out tomorrow to take her for a test spin. I really like this person, and I hope she taking the Drama Llama! One less equid for me to pay for...

2.) I have an interview tomorrow for a full-time job. Granted, it's Loss Prevention, which I DO NOT want to do again, but I need a job. That pays. Money. This one will, and it comes complete with benefits, too. I could do it in my sleep, and there is no contract saying that I have to stay there if the perfect surgical tech position comes along. It's a great job for my "in the meantime."

3.) Speaking of which, I also had an interview at Good Samaritan for a part-time surg. tech position (well, an OB tech position, but a foot in the door!). Just 2 overnight shifts a week, which I could easily do in conjunction with the LP job (LP agents are notorious for writing their own schedules). They even called back and told me they were very interested and asked me to re-apply after they had some union issues with the job posting and had to re-post the position. So that's a good sign. REALLY crossing fingers on that one!

4.) The Boy is still locked in his own little world at the moment (okay, that's not a GOOD thing, but hey, we can't win them all). I did, however, manage to royally piss off his borderline-psychotic soon-to-be-ex-wife, so that made my whole week better. But that is another blog for another day... bwahahaha.

5.) I had a great ride today on Stretch. We worked on really prompt walk/trot transitions with some whoas thrown in for funsies. He did great. He also let me know that he is not terribly comfortable being ridden away from the wall. I acknowledged that, and asked him to try anyway. He was a good sport about it, even if he was worried. We took it slow and got a few rein changes across the diagonal. To the asshole trainer who rode him in Texas: you're a moron. This horse plainly tells you when he doesn't like something. Just listen to him. He is not a dangerous horse. He's a baby. When he hesitates and then starts tossing his head, it means he's worried. I figured that out in, oh, about 2 seconds and you, Mr. Amazing Trainer, couldn't figure it out before he launched your stupid ass? You deserved it.

So here's hoping that everything works out the way I would like them to... It has certainly been a promising start!

PS- It's 1:30 in the AM and I am NOT proofreading this, so I apologize in advance for all grammatical errors that surely occur when one is sleep-deprived.

Juicing

2011-12-08T10:40:00.001-08:00

No, I'm not referring to loading up on anabolic steroids. I'm referring to the new diet fad involving turning perfectly good solid food into liquid form.

Why, you might ask? Hey, me too.

I got started when my friend Deven suggested that I watch some documentary on Netflix titled, Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead, which chronicles some gazillionaire from Australia's journey into weight loss. So I did. It was inspiring. Not only did Mr. Australian Big Bucks loose lots of weight, his rare skin condition cleared up, his cholesterol went down, and I'm pretty sure it can cure cancer, too, even though they didn't mention it in the documentary. How did he do it?

You guessed it- juicing.

The premise is, why eat only one celery stick when you can reduce an entire bushel down into liquid form and drink that, instead? The fiber that actually fills you up is taken out, and you get all of the "micro-nutrients" that are good for you. It's a micro-nutrient overload.

I really need to stop watching documentaries. I get all excited and gung-ho about whatever it is I see. So off I went to buy a brand-spanking new Jack LaLane juicer and an assortment of fruits and veggies. It just looks so darn appetizing in the pictures... In the documentary, Mr. ABB went on a 30-day (or was it 60-day? I can't remember) fast where all he consumed was juice. I decided that might be a little too extreme for me, so I decided on a nice healthy one-week fast. 7 days. No big deal, right?

WRONG

I have discovered that I HATE juicing. The only thing that I have gotten out of my juicer that I actually wanted to drink or found even remotely appetizing was straight apple juice. If I was feeling particularly adventurous, I'd throw a few grapes or (gasp) a pear into my apple juice. Veggies? Nope. I hate veggies, anyway (I know, I'm the world's worst vegetarian), so I'm not sure what made me think that their taste would magically transform if I just extracted their juice and drank that. Straight carrot juice is tolerable, but I am scared it will make me turn orange like I saw in that one House, M.D. episode.

I tried a variety of different recipes, I tried to make up my own, I tried the "fresh parsley trick" that someone recommended to me (where a handful of fresh parsley allegedly makes any juice taste better). None of it made a difference. I hate juicing. Even my apple juice, which is delicious, is such a PITA to clean up after that it's hardly worth it for one glass. So my $100+ juicer is now hanging out in my garage.

Knowing me, and my inability to completely admit defeat, it will probably live in the garage until I decide that I need to jump back on that bandwagon and try again. This will be a vicious cycle for at least the next few years. In fact, I was considering dragging it back out today for breakfast. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment like that.

Red Light, Green Light

2011-12-06T23:10:00.001-08:00

I had my second ride on Stretch tonight. I got brave (or stupid) and decided to ride solo with no ground assistance. Actually, it was past 9pm and there was no one at the barn at all. Probably stupid. But honestly, I prefer to ride with no one around. No distractions. I can control the horse's entire world. Plus I love the quiet and peace of nighttime at the barn.

After mounting, my suspicions that the ground person that Stretch is so used to always having is more like a crutch were solidified. He seemed completely lost and did not want to move away from the mounting block. After nagging him with my legs and getting a few steps here and there, more nagging, and a few more steps, he finally seemed to get it.

We got a good forward walk going and after a lap around the arena, I decided that we needed to work on teh "go" cue. So I began whoa/walk/whoa transitions. Lots of them. He picked up the idea fairly quickly, and after maybe 5 minutes, it was old hat. I could get a walk with just a small bump pf the heel.

Interestingly, for the first half of our ride, the walk cue was met with lots of head tossing before he would take a step. By the second half of the ride, he was still very interested in the bit, but he was seeking it, playing with it, "testing" it. I sensed that he felt way more comfortable and confident when he knew where my hands were and what they were doing. Towards the end of the ride, he was very heavy in the bridle and seemed to like it. Silly horse. Note to self: Stretch likes lots of contact. For now.

Memo to Stretch: "Go" Isn't An Option

2011-12-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

This is Stretch. The gigantic (I'm guessing he'll finish at 17h) Dutch WB x Arabian that I traded Biff for.

Now that I've gotten him back up to a really nice weight after his Texas debacle and then a stint at a less-than-stellar "full care" boarding barn I had him at while finishing clinicals, it's time to start working him.

Don't get me wrong, I had hopped on him a couple of times at the barn in Turner in the round pen. He did okay. Nothing spectacular. I had The Boy help me by leading Stretch around for a bit until I was confident I wouldn't die, then back off so we could go solo. Problem is, Stretch almost requires someone leading him around. Without ground support, this horse is convinced that "forward" is impossible.

Since moving back up to the barn in Estacada, our focus has been getting weight on, building a topline, and finding a saddle that fits his crazy shark-fin withers. I finally figured out that my dressage saddle fits if accompanied by my nice fleece correction pad.

So this weekend I had Katie out at the barn and jumped on the chance to have a knowledgeable horseperson assist me with Mr. I-Can't-Go-Forward. She knew the ways to get him "jumps started" from behind and has the timing on when to back off that my sweet but non-horsey boyfriend just doesn't possess.

Stretch was.... just okay. Still is hesitant to move forward. When I start to really nag him, I can feel him tense up. Given his history of bucking off the last trainer who tried to establish forward with his dressage whip, I wanted to avoid that route. 17h is a loooong way down! I do have to admit that on horses that I am more confident with, I will get very aggressive about establishing forward. To me, it's vitally important that when I say "go," it means "GO NOW."

I just don't think I can get that aggressive with this horse. Yet.

So in the meantime, I suppose that my tactics will be to either annoy him until he moves forward then praise feverishly, or, when that starts to annoy me start pulling/kicking him in circles to show him that balking is highly unpleasant and I still expect his feet to move. Not sure we're even at that point yet.

I will, as usual, sit and ponder this obsessively, and likely try a few different approaches to see if I can figure out what gets this horse to click and what he responds to. I do know that I want him to learn how to go solo. No more ground helpers around as a crutch. Sorry, Stretch, you have to listen to ME.

Survivors

2011-12-01T21:57:00.001-08:00

So it's 10pm and I'm blogging with a bowl of popcorn. I usually have a rule against eating things past 8pm. It's amazing how much weight just drops off on its own when I cut out the nighttime snacking habit. But tonight my willpower is down and it was either popcorn, ice cream, or cookie dough. I chose the lesser of the three evils and went with Healthy Pop, which tastes like cardboard but is giving me something to munch on.

Moving on.

This last summer I kept my horses pasture-boarded while I finished up my clinical rotation for school. While we were there, I had many life-altering "moments." First of all, this place had NO arena. None. Anywhere. There was a small round pen. That was all.

I happen to be an arena baby. I looooooove the arena. You know, with good footing, and corners, and straight walls. Virtually all of the training I do involve either the corners, the walls, or center/quarter lines. I have no idea what to do out in a field other than goof around for a nice easy hack. Kind of like a trail ride, where the only thing I want to accomplish is completing the ride with minimal drama.

So I solved that problem by not riding much all summer. Sure, I tried to ride in the round pen. It was fun for about 3 minutes and I quickly got bored.

Then one day out of the blue I decided to take the pony out for a "real" ride in the 40-acre hay field. Why I suddenly felt that she was ready to take on the big, open world at that moment still to this day mystifies me. I'm also not entirely sure why I felt that was the day to ignore my hatred of riding the tiny little 13.2 hand dainty pony. I always feel like I'm going to a.) squish her or b.) fall off the second she takes a misstep because there is nothing substantial about this pony to hold me up.

But I'm an impulsive person, so I went for it. Besides, I had ridden her in the round pen a few days earlier and she was only a *little* herd-bound, and we both survived.

I got her tacked up, led her to the gate, and she stood still like a good girl while I mounted and fidgeted with my stirrups. I was feeling a sense of confidence that my pony had, indeed, woken up one day and decided that she was going to become magically dead broke.

Off we went at a nice, calm walk. I was inwardly congratulating myself for my mad skillz at training the psycho pony. Then, approximately 20 feet from the gate, the Drama Pony must have realized that her friends were in a different field. On the other side of the barn. And that we had NEVER been in this field. She planted the brakes. I managed to boot her on until we were continuing in a tense, prancy jig, but at least it was the direction I wanted.

Another 20 feet later I got a spin-and-bolt attempt. Supposedly the bushes we were passing by were of the pony-eating variety. Thank God that in all my years of riding I have perfected the "You Can't Bolt If I Yank Your Head Around To My Kneecap and Spin You In Small Circles" maneuver. At this point I was livid. How DARE she try to run back to her friends! I decided there was no way in h*ll I was letting her move her feet back in that direction until she was being obedient. I don't need calm per se. I do need her to listen to me and not try to take matters into her own hands- er, hooves.

More prancy-jiggy crap. A few more spin-and-bolt attempts. A few times she planted her feet and refused to go forward at all (note: it is absolutely imperative to me that this pony ALWAYS go forward when told. When we first got her, she liked to rear as an evasion. I have seen her on multiple times rear so violently she flipped herself over. The rearing has gone away, but I've seen her do it, and I know she is capable. Therefore forward is a BIG DEAL- they can't rear if their feet are moving forward). Eventually I got her trotting in roughly 15m circles. It was hot out, she was out of shape, and got tired quickly. When she would trot politely in a full circle without trying to sidepass towards the barn, I would let her walk. As soon as she started being nutty again, back to the trot.

It was a long, hard ride, but she finally gave in and we walked back to the barn on a loose rein. As we were walking, several things hit me at once:

1.) I rode out the worst this pony has ever thrown at me and stayed on. I am not going to fall off the damn pony in a strong breeze. I *do* have good balance. I *am* a skilled rider. Several really bad falls off of a couple of previous horses has made me a timid/cautious rider. I don't need to be. I just need to get over myself.

2.) Pony was genuinely scared being out by herself, but even in her spin-and-bolt fits, not once did her front end leave the ground. I don't even think rearing crossed her little pony brain. It's amazing how far she's come since Katie and I first picked her up.

3.) I have ridden horses who have literally lost their minds when scared and there was no getting it back (refer to revelation #1, above). Horses are flight animals. It's what they do. The fact that the pony wanted to flee but eventually came back to me speaks volumes about her. She's a sensitive, nervous type anyway. The fact that we could still communicate with each other is huge for her.

This incident was several months ago. We have since moved back up to the barn in Estacada (I really missed the arena). In retrospect, while attempting to take the pony out on our little jaunt was somewhat impulsive and foolish at the time, I think it is one of the best things I could have done for both Drama and myself. I am no longer scared to ride her. Getting over my mental hangup about riding her has been great. I find that I actually enjoy riding her now, and her training has been progressing in leaps and bounds.

I think she, too, also came out better on the other end of our adventure. It seems like we bonded. She's much more in-tune to me, and she tries her heart out for me every day. It was like, in her little pony mind, the joint traumatic experience of having to ride in a field made us soul sisters. Everything that we used to struggle with before (trailer loading, clipping, taking her blanket off over her head) is suddenly a non-issue. I can almost hear her saying, "I'm not a fan of the blanket going over my head, but you and I went to Hell and back together, therefore I trust you."

Silly pony. I am still trying to sell her, but not as enthusiastically as I once was. I secretly wish she wont sell. If I had the money, I would keep her in a heartbeat. Maybe take some dressage lessons together. No, she doesn't have the "sparkle" for competitive FEI levels, but right now she has the heart and the willingness to likely make it to 4th and do pretty well.

Did I mention that we started schooling lateral movements just last week and she is now leg-yielding off of only my seat bones?

Great Expectations

2011-06-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have written about Biff here before. Cute, fun, but not really that good at anything that I like to do. Yes, he is a rockstar trail horse, but I'm just not a trail rider. I have higher ambitions for my riding career than trail riding (don't get me wrong- I love trails and I think they are a valuable training tool for EVERY horse. I just don't want to do it exclusively).

When I posted a photo of Biff with my 7-year-old niece on my Facebook page, I had no idea that my friend Chelsea would ask if I would ever consider parting with him, as she was looking for a solid, safe trail horse. I love Biff enough that I wouldn't mind keeping him forever if I had to, but Chelsea is such an amazing home that I wish I was a horse and could live with her. Who was I to deny Biff the chance to live the good life as Chelsea's trail horse?

Rewind to a few years ago. Chelsea was searching for an Arabian to show and came home with an Arabian/Dutch Warmblood cross. I had always wanted a WB/arab cross after meting a few at my local dressage shows, and the several arabs and arab crosses that my dressage trainer's other clients rode. I was also partial to Arabs since my very first lesson horse (who my parents ended up letting me lease) was also an Arabian. Plus, it didn't hurt that I learned to ride dressage and hunters on a Dutch WB mare (who I regretfully sold later so I could be a "responsible adult" and go to college). When Chelsea found an Arab/DWB (later named Stretch because he will not stop growing), I was in love with the idea of that particular cross, and have secretly coveted Stretch ever since.

Back to present times. When Chelsea asked how much I wanted for Biff, I told her that I would just give him to her, because it was the best home I could ever find for him. Plus, he was a $230 auction rescue who couldn't canter. Realistically, with today's horse market, he's not worth that much to begin with. Then she asked if I wanted Stretch in exchange. I almost fell out of my chair. I was sure that Chelsea had lost her mind. I mean, who trades a VERY nice Warmblood with loads of potential for a $230 auction rescue trail horse? I tried to remind her that it was NOT an equal trade, and that I couldn't afford to pay her the difference. Her response was the same "he's going to a great home" line that I gave her about Biff. (That's the weird thing about us horse folk. We'll willingly lose money on a horse just to rest assured that they are taken care of and loved.)

Chelsea is bringing Stretch down next Friday, and picking up Biff. When someone offers to trade you a Ferarri for a Volvo (as Fuglyhorseoftheday author Cathy put it in a not-so-subtle test message), you DON'T say no. I am thrilled and can't WAIT to see him in my pasture.

I am also a little freaked out. With Biff, there was no expectation. He was never going to be the dressage superstar of my dreams, so there was never pressure when I rode him. He was the horse I could ride when I didn't feel like schooling anything and I could putz around on him without worrying about ruining anything special, but he has an endless list of dressage-y things to work on, so he kept me occupied and amused.

Now, I will have a young horse with potential for upper-level dressage. I was worried that I wouldn't "do him justice." I can usually bring a horse up to 1st level dressage by myself, but as soon as we start getting into the greater collection and lateral work of 2nd level, I prefer to have eyes on the ground. Preferably the eyes of a trainer. I am also at a disadvantage because I cannot afford to keep a horse in full-time training with a dressage pro. I can afford lessons, but I also know that the learning curve for "lessons-only" training is much slower than the learning curve for "pro rides 5 days a week and the occasional owner lesson" training. It was stressing me out.

Key word: "was."

Then I had to be logical and reasonable:

1.) Stretch doesn't care if he makes Grand Prix. Stretch doesn't even know what Grand Prix means. He probably only cares about eating, pooping, and getting the occasional scritch. Stretch will not be disappointed if he never makes it to the FEI levels, or if he is "only" at 2d level by the time he's 15. It's silly for me to think I am somehow letting him down by not being able to progress as quickly as I'd like.

2.) The whole point of me wanting a horse with upper-level potential is for ME to learn how to bring a horse along up through the levels. If I hand off every talented horse I get to a professional trainer because I'm afraid I wont be able to get them to their highest level of performance, I will never learn how to do it myself. This is as much for me as it is for him. Oh, who am I kidding? This is MORE for me than it is for him (see point #1, above). It has been insanely frustrating to ride under gifted trainers and instructors on a less-than-suitable horse. Trying to advance my riding skills was like trying to wade through molasses; painfully slow.

So who cares if Stretch is only doing 2nd level 10 years from now? If that's where we're at in 10 years, that's where we're at. It's more about the journey, anyway. I just like having high goals. What's that saying about shooting for the moon and landing in the stars? That's generally what I go for...

When Stretch arrives on Friday, he is getting turned out in my 5-acre pasture with my small herd. He gets time to just be a horse while I finish my last 3 months of school. He earned it. Plus, Chelsea thinks he's *still* growing...

NH vs Classical Dressage. And the winner is.... something in the middle.

2011-03-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

In an effort to keep myself from studying, well, anything for my surgical technology class, I have suddenly taken a profound interest in studying -heavily- Natural Horsemanship (NH) training principles and simultaneously studying Classical Dressage (henceforth referred to as CD) principles. I compare and contrast the two constantly. I find it surprising how many training philosophies overlap and how many are polar opposites. (There is more overlap than not. Who knew?) I love to spend hours and hours contemplating which theories make more sense, which are the most valid, and deciding which ideas to tuck into my training "tool belt" and which ones to ignore forever. I try to look for parallels, and , when there are none, I try to consider reasonable compromises between the two. I want to become knowledgeable enough about both extremes so I can understand everything in the middle. This way, when it comes time to start my yellow colt (in another year and a half or so), I can make informed decisions and pick which methodologies I think will have the most success with that particular horse.

Unfortunately for my older, broke horses, they have become my guinea pigs. Biff, Drama, and Footloose have become my training experiments. Mostly Biff, because he has the mind and forgiving nature to deal with my mistakes and not hold them against me. Notsomuch with the girls. Biff is my "tester" and the girls are my "confirmation."

Should be interesting. When I am procrastinating on homework further I will write about my first lesson with Biff and what *I* learned from it.

Update

2010-09-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

So I enrolled myself in one of those "career colleges" to get a certificate in Surgical Technology. Then I found out it's an accelerated class and we are supposed to learn everything in one year as opposed to the usual two. Ergo, the Anatomy and Physiology class that I am taking is insanely intense, and we're cramming a year's worth of classes into about 2.5 months. Needless to say, I haven't been getting to the gym much. And usually when I do, I am armed with my Medical Terminology flashcards and study them while on the elliptical/treadmill/stationary bike. I'm pretty sure I am not getting the best workout ever, but I DO know that increased blood flow also increases cognitive abilities, so hopefully I am retaining things better... we'll find out.

Other than the excessive studying required, I am very excited about becoming a Surgical Technologist, and will love my future paycheck even more.

Now, back to the horses. ;-)

I am trying to not let my crazy schedule interfere with my horse-time. I NEED horse-time to function. I was concerned that being overly busy would cause me to forgo riding in exchange for even more study time, so I just filled out an entry for a local dressage schooling show for my OTTB. This will be her very first horse show ever, and so I'm keeping it low-key. We're just doing Intro A and B. Nothing too strenuous. The show is Oct 30, so I have a few things I'd like to work on before then:

1.) I'd like to get her more bendy to the right (yes, that's the technical term. LOL). Like all OTTBs, she was very one-sided when I got her, and she's much better now, but I'd like to improve it even more.

2.) Our centerlines and diagonals are more "squiggles" than "lines." Now that she understands what leg means, though, I have a feeling it will improve with repetition.

3.) I just want to get her a little more consistently on the bit. She is good about being on the bit about 75% of the time. I want to bump it up to about 90% of the time.

Clearly, we do not have lofty goals. I am not planning on going to the show to win a ribbon, I am planning on going to the show to, well, get my mare to a show. I want to see how she does away from home in a show environment. And, I wont lie, I also needed motivation to keep riding her consistently while I am trying to avoid pulling my hair out from the excess studying. It's good for me; I NEED my horse-time.

Either I'm Getting Stronger...

2010-08-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

... or my feed store is lying to me about the weight of my hay bales. But since they're still 3-string bales and HUGE, I'll go with the former.

I just stacked almost a million 125lb hay bales. All by myself. In the heat of the afternoon, with energy to spare! Well, maybe it wasn't "almost a million" but it sure felt like it! And I can lift them higher too. I will not credit this to anything other than the fact that it's summer and have been stacking more hay than usual. I don't work my arms out at the gym, although I really should.

My current horsey-project is getting my OTTB mare to actually relax her jaw, give at her poll, and flex softly. I want her to learn that the bit is NOT something to clamp down on and lean on. I've heard that it's a racehorse thing. Apparently in Racehorse Land, pulling on a horse's face actually makes them go faster. Huh, who knew?

I got her teeth floated before doing anything- I always try to rule out any and all physical issues before trying to work out a somewhat difficult problem in horse training. Now, her teeth are in tip-top shape, and she got a massage from Uncle Jason the horse masseuse. She is set to go.

So far, I've been proceeding as follows: I start off by longeing her in a nice large circle at the walk and trot until she's warmed-up, loose, relaxed and forward. Then I start slowly shortening my longe line and spiraling her closer into the circle until it starts to look like she's struggling a little, then I let her spiral back out. This little extra bit of stress from the smaller circle makes her stronger. Then I reverse her and do the same on the other side.

(A WORD OF CAUTION: Only do this is you are VERY comfortable reading your horse and can see when they start to get stiff or struggle. You have to know enough to not force them into a circle so small that it will actually damage their joints or muscles. Right now, my mare can spiral in from a 20m circle to a 12-15m circle, so my circles are NEVER teeny tiny, only a little more challenging. When she gets stronger we'll go for 10m, but, like weight training, you have to build up to it slowly.)

After a few spirals and she's good and warmed up, I put her bridle on (over her halter) and let her eat apple pieces with her bit in her mouth while I put on her surcingle. I am trying to get her to chew on the bit. I am teaching her that it's okay to play with the bit, and that she doesn't need jaws of steel. I also use apple, specifically, because it promotes salivation.

After she's done with her apple piece, I do flexions in-hand on the ground. The idea is really too long to describe here, but just Google it. I am particularly fond of Jane Savoie's descriptions, as well as Dr. Thomas Ritter's descriptions of how to do flexions. In essence, it releases the tension in the jaw/poll area of the horse. I'm mostly just trying to her her more supple in that area.

Then I attach Vienna reins. I tried plain side reins, which I prefer, but she is a smart cookie and very quickly learned to evade them by going above the bit and travelling hollow and ignoring me when I tell her to go forward. The Vienna reins don't let her do that.

So far, we've only had 2 longeing sessions with the Vienna reins. At first, Miss Priss was convinced she could not move forward when there was any kind of contact on her mouth. I mostly lead her around while she got used to them. Yesterday, we mostly longed at the walk and did a little tiny bit of trot. I let her take it easy, since this idea of being on the bit tends to be earth-shattering for some horses. We literally change their whole world when we ask them to move a certain way. So I don't ever ask too much of it at first. My plan is to continue adding longer and longer trot sets in the Vienna reins for the next week or so (every other day- muscles need a day to recover), to build muscle along her topline, and then back to riding, and working on introducing the same idea under saddle.

Katie took pictures of Missy Magoo in her pen last week, and I keep meaning to ask her to email them to me. They will be my "before" pictures of The Princess with her scrawny neck and weak topline. Hopefully in a few months I will have nice "after" pictures of a more athletic-looking horse. Stay Tuned!

By the way, my mare's name is Footloose. Don't be confused by the various nicknames I have for her. I'm pretty sure that all of my horses have an identity crisis by now.

Go Team COTH!

2010-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I need some extra motivation. I didn't even realize that I did until someone posted a thread on COTH about a weight loss clique. I didn't even read through all of the posts until I jumped in and joined. Then I went back and started re-reading what I had skipped.

It looked like everyone was joining a website called SparkPeople. I began looking around, and am thoroughly impressed with the site. It's free to join, and allows you to track what you ate, how much exercise you got, how much water you drank and other goals. You can use their goal suggestions or create your own. You are rewarded for staying on track with points. You are given meal-plan suggestions that you can chose to follow or not. They have weekly weigh-ins. They have options where you can chose to track your blood pressure, blood sugar, mood, sleep quality, and stress level, if you so desire. This is like the "WebMD" weight loss site on steroids. I love it.

My favorite part about this site? They have an extra "community" aspect. Members can join "teams" where everyone on the team is working to accumulate points. This is EXACTLY the motivation I need. When I am working out for me, myself, and I, I don't get very upset if I have to miss a workout or two (or ten). When I have a team that needs my points, I feel SO guilty for not pitching in, that I tend to become an overachiever.

So, the kind ladies on COTH started a COTH team. So far we have 17 members. I am so excited to have some form of a support group- especially since they are all horse-people, too, and they understand exactly what I am trying to achieve when I say "I want to lose weight to become a better rider."

I joined the site last night, and today is my first full day of my new "lifestyle makeover." If you'll excuse me, I have to go walk my dog so I can get an extra point for my team...

When to push, and when to let it go.

2010-07-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

This has been a big deal in my brain lately, and it has to do with training. What circumstances do you push the horse, and what circumstances do you just "let it go?"

When I had one horse, everything was a training opportunity. NOTHING got past me. I was a discipline Nazi. And my horse was well-behaved. now that I have multiple horses, I let more things slide. I pick my battles. There are some things that I am firm on and others that I let slide. And you know what? My horses are still well-behaved.

I cannot pinpoint what things I let go and why. There are times when I ride when my horse has a "lightbulb moment" and does a new thing, or something really really well. In some circumstances, I hop off and let them be done. In others, I ride it 2 or 3 more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke before I get off. I cannot tell you what the basis for my decision is. I like to think it's instinct. It could just be a subconscious understanding of the horse that I've gained over countless hours of working with them.

Katie has a habit of finding something that annoys the horse, and then making point of continuing to do it until the horse either gives in, or it morphs into a huge training issue. She has a particular fascination with rubbing horses' noses and playing with their nostrils. I don't know many horses who actually enjoy this- most find it a rude invasion of space. I used to insist that the horses always accept everything I do to them, too. Nowadays, I have more respect for my horse. If they dislike it, I respect them enough to not do it unless it's necessary. And in return, I fully believe they respond BETTER to the respect. I have yet to have a horse NOT hold still when I really really needed them to.

Case in point: my mare is weird about her face being messed with. She tosses her head and lets me know, as politely as she can, that the face is off-limits for petting. However, I can bridle her. I can put her fly mask on. I can rub fly spray around her nose. She holds still and we can easily get on with our daily lives without incident. When she got a large and nasty cut on her forehead, she stood politely while I doctored it for the next few weeks. She still doesn't like me simply petting her head. And I respect her enough to only do so when I have an actual reason. I think she recognizes that.

Saint? George

2010-06-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have a palomino colt named George. Because I believe in signs.

Cathy convinced me to take his dam as a "resale project." Put a couple months' training on her, rehome. Easy as pie, right? Except for the very first time I rode her, I was on her for about 5 minutes before I sent Cathy a text message telling her I was keeping her forever. I immediately felt at home on that mare, but she'll get her own blog all to herself.

I had the vet out to do teeth, and asked them to also do a pregnancy check, since she was stabled right next door to a stallion and was not coming in heat, plus she came from a breeding farm. Sure enough, there was a blob on the untrasound. The vet declared my mare to be 60 days pregnant, because of the ribcage on the fetus. It still looked like a blob to me. I even thought that perhaps the vet get his eyes checked.

Sure enough, about 6 months after the ultrasound, my mare began looking pregnant. I stopped riding her when her saddle started not fitting correctly. We knew the foal would be a palomino. The stallion that got out at her old home was a cremello (a very nice one at that. Thank God Maresy has good taste) and the mare is a chestnut. The only possible color kiddo could be was palomino. Which is ironic, because as a hunter/saddleseat/dressage snob, I've never cared for palominos, and swore I would never own one. (Perhaps I should swear that I will never ever own a black Lusitano?)

When my mare got HUGE and was walking awkwardly, I had a very vivid dream that I was going out to the barn and had a palomino colt named George. Naturally, I told my friend Katie about the dream, and for the 2 weeks leading up to his birth, Katie and I joked about how I would "love him and hug him and call him George."

When the foal arrived and I had an adorable, gangly colt, I called my mom to tell her the news. I kid you not, the very first thing she said to me is, "Oh, it's St. George's Day! You should name him George!"

Not about to name my colt after some random saint (I am Catholic, and the saint you are named after becomes your "patron" saint, the one who looks after you, so it matters), I googled St. George.

Imagine my surprise when the very first image I found was of St. George on the back of a very intimidating-looking PALOMINO (Well, I guess it could be a grey, but it looks mighty gold for a grey)

So, I took it as a sign. I believe in signs. George it is.

And for those of you who are curious, St. George is apparently a Roman soldier-turned-martyr, who slayed a dragon (suspected to be Satan) to save a princess (I'm pretty sure it was just a virgin). It's a very romantic tale, and St. George is one of the most prominent military saints. So, in short, he is a very strong and powerful saint, and so I hoped that my colt would live up to his name and not be, you know, a sissy.

So now, a year later, I am pleased that George (also affectionately referred to as Georgie, Georgie Porgie, Porge, Jorge (pronounced "Hore-hay," in case your Spanish pronunciation is a little shaky), Baby, Child, Colt, Bad Colt, Gorgeous George, and Georgous (for good measure)) had indeed thus far live up to his namesake, except minus the "saint" part. He is fearless. He is bold. He is charming and friendly. But he also gets into trouble, no fence or gate can contain him, and he is very likely too smart for his own good.

But I also was able to teach him all of the showmanship maneuvers in less than 30 minutes total, broken up over 3 10-minute sessions. I do love this colt. He will be fun. I can tell already.

Easy Rice Burritos

2010-06-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while. I have some serious A.D.D. sometimes. And since this is officially the wettest June on record by over 3 inches, I suspect that I am also suffering from seasonal depression, despite the fact that I have never suffered from it before.

Moving right along. I don't have much time to spare, but I thought I would quickly share my favorite EASY, healthy meal. It is so simple to make, my 6-year-old nieces could figure it out, it's portable, can be eaten hot or cold, has as many variations as someone can come up with, and is CHEAP to make.

Easy Rice Burritos:

Okay, I don't have a recipe per se. I change it up every time I make these. But here's the basic idea (in bold, the rest is just my rantings):

1 cup rice (pre-cooked). Then cook according to package directions, which should yield about 2 cups of cooked rice, give or take. You can use white, brown, jasmine, wild, it doesn't matter. Whatever you like. Obviously brown rice is more nutritious than white. But in general, I am not that anal.

1 can beans, drained. Kidney, white, pinto, whatever. I like canned beans because they are a million times easier than dried beans and retain most of their nutritional value when canned. Cans of beans are also so cheap that I have never seen the point in going through the hassle of soaking dried beans overnight and the whole rigmarole associated with cleaning and cooking them when I can just open a can and dump them in. If you are a vegetarian like myself, this is your protein source. Protein is good for you. You need it. If you are not a vegetarian and hate beans, I'm sure you can substitute whatever meat products you like. I will still maintain that opening a can of beans is easier AND healthier.

1 can veggies, drained. Again, whatever you like. Corn or peas are my favorites, but it truly is unlimited. Yes, you can use fresh steamed veggies, which are the best, or you can use frozen, which are second best, but again, I am lazy. If I were truly motivated I would put steamed veggies in this, but I don't care enough. Canned style are the most nutritionally void of all of your options, plus many of them contain copious amounts of sodium. But honestly, this mis tends towards the bland side so unless you are planning on working some magic with some spices and whatnot, the tiny bit of extra sodium is a godsend.

Season to taste. Hypocritical as I am about to sound, I am trying to cut back on my sodium intake (I know, I know, I said I liked it in the very last sentence of the last paragraph, but that it my exception, not my rule). Therefore, I have renewed my love affair with an old staple: garlic. Garlic powder or fresh garlic has been happily replacing salt in many of my favorite dishes, including my popcorn. I also adore fresh cilantro in these burritos. If I'm feeling a little "South-of-the-border," I'll use corn as my veggie and add some chili powder. I also just leave the filling plain. Use your imagination.

Wrap in a tortilla and garnish. Okay, before I burrito these up (yes, I just used a noun as a verb. Deal with it) I might add some salsa before rolling. Or some grated low-fat cheese. Usually both. I imagine you could do sour cream if you get the "light" kind or if you don't care about calories. I also will toss in some sliced avocado, because I adore avocado. The point is, even if the filling is somewhat bland, you CAN jazz it up right before eating.

These are SO filling that usually one smallish burrito fills me up and keeps be full for a long time. You have your veggies, your protein, and your carbs in one wrap. They are the Holy Trinity of my cooking philosophy: Easy, Fast, and Cheap.

Yes, I understand that these are a little high in carbs, but allow me to go off for a minute about how rediculous I think the "low-carb diet" and the "low glycemic index diet" fads are:

A gram of carbs is the EXACT same number of calories as a gram of protein. Exact same. 4 calories in a gram of protein, 4 calories in a gram of carbs. And this is universal. Seriously. It's the fat that'll pack on the calories at a whopping 9 calories per gram. (If you don't believe me, read the nutrition label on something close to you. Multiply the grams of fat per serving by 9 calories. Then multiply the grams of carbs per serving and the grams of protein per serving by 4 calories. Then add it up. Amazingly, it will equal the total calories per serving.) So we SHOULD be focusing on a low-fat/low calorie diet like doctors have been saying for decades. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, and the unit itself is an ENERGY unit that indicates how much energy is required to burn it up at all. Why is the old-fashioned "Eat low-calorie, eat everything in moderation and get some exercise" fitness plan not used as much as it should be??

Okay, rant over. Bon apetit!

Meet My Herd: Biff

2010-05-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

After losing a mare that I tried to rescue to a Strangles complication (strangles + severe neglect/starvation + complications = poor mare was euthanized on Christmas Eve, and I hope that whoever let her get in that condition goes directly to hell), I spent the next few months deliberating on rescuing another horse as a riding horse, since my current one was psychotic and unrideable (another blog for another day). Finally, the stars aligned, and I had the time, space, and money for a 2nd horse. So, being the sucker for hard-luck cases that I am, I called my friend Cathy (author of the Fugly Horse of the Day blog) and asked if she wanted to accompany me to the Woodburn Auction, since I had never attended an auction, and I wanted to get a feel for them before making any rash decisions on my next rescue.

At Woodburn, we signed in and got a number (the rationale being, of course, that they had tack there. Ha.) and went back to wander around the barn to look at horses. There was about 70 horses, one of the biggest groups of horses to go through Woodburn in a single night. I wanted to rescue something that had a pretty good shot of being bought for kill, but not something that was insane or mysteriously unsound. We didn't even look at horses who were obviously Aced, nor did we look at horses who were being ridden or were generating a lot of interest. It was hard, but in that kind of an environment, you are truly not "rescuing" as much as you are objectively deciding which one is more deserving to live than the others.

We walked past a nondescript dark bay with his head in the corner. We almost walked completely past when we both noticed that he had pin-firing scars on 3 of his 4 legs. Pinfiring doesn't scare me. In fact, to me, it says, "I had a job once. I'm probably broke." We caught the gelding's attention and checked his lip- yep, a racing tattoo. I guessed his age to be around 10-12 years old based on his teeth. Excellent. I liked him. We were a little concerned that he was drugged since he was so calm, but after playing with him a bit and scratching his butt, we determined he was just laid-back and people-oriented. Another plus. We KNEW he wasn't a Thoroughbred. We also knew he wasn't a QH. The racing tattoo was perplexing. It took us a while to realize that he was a Standardbred (Standardbreds are almost non-existent in this area). We tried to get info on him from the office people, but they said he wasn't dropped off with anything. Hmmm.

When the auction started, we grabbed our seats and immediately picked out who the kill buyers were. They were the guys in front with cowboy hats who bid on EVERYTHING. When the pinfired Standardbred was led through, the auctioneer introduced him as a "Spanish Driving Horse." Say what? What the hell is a Spanish Driving Horse? We had to laugh about that, but when I saw that the kill buyer was the only one bidding on the big, adorable gelding, I handed my number to Cathy, shut my eyes and said, "I don't care if he goes to a private home, but don't let him go to kill." Within seconds, Cathy sat back down next to me and said, "Congrats, you got a new horse."

When we got him to Cathy's house (she offered to quarantine him for me), I spent the next week cleaning him up, I longed him, and then I rode him. He was sound. He was safe. He had an insanely huge trot that would be expected of a Standardbred. He had so much character. I ended up naming him Biff, at my friend Katie's suggestion, after the main character in one of our favorite books, Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.

Biff's tattoo tells us that his registered name is Class Flirt, and that he was raced extensively (for 8 years) but never really did that well. He was also a pacer, which we found out when we asked him to canter. Now that I have my colt and my show horse, I don't really have a use for him, but he is so much fun and such a character that I keep him and keep working on getting that dang canter. We'll get it someday. I know it's in there. In the meantime, he's an awesome trail horse and I feel safe putting my guests up on him. As far as I'm concerned, he was the best horse at Woodburn that night, and I am happy that he didn't go home with the kill buyer.

Running: Treadmill vs. Road vs. Trail

2010-04-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

Running is running, right? WRONG.

I am not an expert on running beyond the basics: invest in quality footwear, listen to your body, beginners should log minutes instead of miles, do the "talk test," etc. But, sadly, I thought that all running was pretty much created equal. This weekend, that idea was shattered.

Treadmill vs. Oustide

I'm getting pretty good at the treadmill. I can jog along at a nice leisurely pace for an extended period of time while watching Dr. Phil on the gym TV's or listening to my iPod. I can log a few miles at a time on the treadmill now without taking any "walk breaks." I thought (okay, I still think) I was pretty cool stuff.

Then on a nice day last week I took it outside.

I almost died running a whole mile. (Side note: yes, yes, I know that I violated almost every beginning runner rule I listed above. I did not listen to my body. I did not try to count minutes instead of miles. I wanted a mile, dammit. And I was determined to get one. Do as I say and not as I do.) Mystified (and gasping for air), I pondered why it is so much easier to run on a treadmill than outside? My scientific brain logically decided that it clearly requires far more energy to actually propel my mass forward through space on non-moving footing than it does to bounce from one leg to another on a moving tread while staying in one spot.

Why this thought didn't occur to me before I set out to knock out a piddly, measly mile on the pavement in my neighborhood, I'll never know. But I sure know now. Running "out in the world" is much more difficult than hitting a treadmill. Is that to say that a treadmill isn't as good of exercise? No. Treadmills are still awesome. Especially in cold, rainy, gloomy Oregon. Plus, they are easier on the joints than the pavement, and you can adjust the incline to exactly what you want. But treadmills and the sidewalk are vastly different running experiences, and they each have something to offer.

Trail Running

Treadmills and sidewalks may be the staple for most of us who live in suburbia, but if you want to take your running experience from "bleh" to "Holy Crap!" in no time, hit the trail.

I LOVE trail running. It reminds me of trail riding with my horses, only I'm the one doing all the work. It is interesting. The varying terrain; the shift in inclines/declines; the scenery, smells, and solitude; and the occasional ditch/log/tree root/rock all (quite literally) keep me on my toes. Running uphill on a trail is hard. Running downhill on a trail is not as demanding, however it does require a high degree of fancy footwork and physical dexterity and agility to remain upright as your body flies downwards. Yes, physics do kick in and it is much more difficult to stop when going downhill, and much more difficult to go when going uphill. All in all, I think it makes it much more enjoyable than a constant incline of a treadmill, or the steady pounding on concrete.

I am fortunate enough to live at the foot of a nature park with miles of trails. I have very few excuses to NOT go trail running (or even just hiking would probably do me worlds of good) other than this Evil Oregon Rain.

I went up last Sunday. The next day I was sore. I was sore from mid-calf down to my ankles. In trail running, apparently you have to use ALL of those little tiny micro-muscles in your lower leg and ankles to stabilize yourself on the uneven terrain. I know this will help my riding SO much!!! I have weak ankles. I have always had weak ankles. Particularly my right ankle. It gets sore after too much posting/2-point or anything that requires me to be extra deep through the heel when I am on horseback. I am interested to see if trail running helps improve my ankle strength, since it's so difficult to find "traditional" exercises that do!

Meet My Herd: Drama

2010-04-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Drama Pony is a spunky, vivacious, adorable pony that Katie and I picked up off of CL. When we went to go look at her, we found her in a chicken barn that is about 50 feet from a very busy highway. The girl who was selling her told us that she had been planning on using the pony for rodeos (wha....?) but didn't have enough money for all of her horses, so she was downsizing, and the pony kept getting out and wandering around said highway. The owner also disclosed that she had plucked the pony out of some old-timer's backyard, who apparently didn't know how to use a halter and thought that ear-twitching was a perfectly acceptable way to get anything done. She also had no name- he just called her "Horse."

So, the combination of "she's a pretty nice diamond in the rough" and "we can't leave her here to live in a chicken barn where she escapes and runs into the road and/or gets used for rodeo" (Okay, the rodeo thing still baffles me. What the hell would a grown woman do on a 13.2h pony in rodeo?) prompted us to plunk down the $500 and drag her home.

Our first clue that this pony would be a challenge was trying to load her into the trailer to take her home. She reared a couple times but we got her loaded. Then she started rearing IN the trailer. To the point where we deliberately drove like maniacs just so she HAD to keep all 4 feet on the floor.

We named her "Drama." It started out as a joke about how "every barn needs a little Drama" (get it?? A little Drama?? For a 13.2h pony? We thought we were clever) and we quickly realized that it suited her better than we thought. EVERYTHING is dramatic to this pony.

We spent the next few months just teaching to her NOT rear every time she hit the end of a leadrope or cross-tie. Not only would she rear, but occasionally she would rear and then strike at us with her front hooves. This is clearly a learned behavior from somewhere in her past. And honestly, it probably worked for her. Even though she's small, it's still frightening to see any equine on their rear legs trying to kill you with their front. When she tried to pull this stunt with us, however, we did not back down. If she struck, she promptly had a Come-To-Jesus meeting. With whatever Katie or I had in our hands. It was not pretty. I used anything I could think of her make her move her feet forward. Now. Granted I probably could have come up with a better tactic. But if one of us has to get hurt, I'll be damned if it is going to be me. When she would just rear, sans striking, we would not budge, wait for her tizzy to be over with, and continue with whatever it was that triggered her rear in the first place.

Slowly, the rearing became less and less, and we spent the summer getting her over her head-shyness. Fly masks on and off. Halters on and off. Bitless bridles on and off. Until she learned to deal with it. With grooming, we'd brush just a little closer to her ears each time and back off when we sensed a rear coming on. It took FOREVER. But slowly the rearing became less and less frequent, and we moved on to other training issues, like riding her.

Fast forward to today. The project pony that we wanted to flip for hay money is still in our barn 2 years later, but she is going beautifully under saddle. I haven't seen her rear in almost a year now. The little kids at the barn can practice their Showmanship patterns with her, and she is a saint. Last week I was able to clip her face and bridlepath without her halter on. Which is HUGE. Under saddle, she is schooling Training Level Dressage and starting over fences, and is absolutely darling. She's actually surprisingly fun to ride and is going to be shown heavily this year to market her. Hopefully we can sell her into a show home, with her own little girl. Little Girl will have to be a good rider as the pony is very sensitive to aids and slightly on the "hot" side, but she is beyond sweet and will do ANYTHING for a "good girl" and a pat. Plus, she's so talented over fences that the only home I can even try to imagine her in is a hunter show barn with matching blankets and tack trunks.

The sad truth of the matter is that the pony is simply too fancy and talented for us to do her justice. She will never live up to her full potential sitting in our barn.

The "Energy Efficient" Diet

2010-04-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that the last few weeks have been crazy and I have slacked on my exercising. However, I am happy to report that I am still noticing the scale creeping slowly downward, albeit more slowly than when I hit the gym regularly. How, you might ask? I've been wondering the same thing. After pondering this phenomenon, I have come to the conclusion that while I was working out, and strictly dieting, I did in fact manage to form a few healthier habits. I have dramatically reduced the amount of crap food in my house. Well, the crap food that I like, anyway. I do not have potato chips, I do not have frozen dinners. I have a large basket full of a variety of fruits (apples, oranges, pears, bananas, plums, grapes, and kiwi, currently) and it sits out on my kitchen counter for easy access. I stock the fridge with bottles of water instead of cans of pop (yes, I call it "pop." I'm an Oregonian. Deal with it). The candy is gone, so when I am running out the door instead of grabbing a candy bar and a soda for energy, I grab an apple and a bottle of water. In the middle of the night when I am craving something sweet, my options are pretty much a.) bake a cake, b.) get in the car, drive to the store, and buy ice cream, or c.) Just eat some fruit. Gee, which one do I pick Every. Single. Time? When I am craving something salty, my options are generally to prepare some cooked food, or eat a pickle. 9 times out of 10, the pickle wins.

And the cool thing is, I don't even realize I'm dieting. Or at least I didn't, until I stepped on the scale 5lbs lighter than I was LAST time, with not a single workout under my belt since. So I was thinking I would call this "The Lazy Person's Diet." As in, if I keep only healthy food around, and I am too lazy to cook or bake or get in the car and drive to the store for ice cream, I WILL make better food choices out of necessity. It just happens.

But, as my dressage trainer is fond of saying, "I don't like the word 'lazy.' I prefer the term, 'energy efficient.'"

So, it's the "Energy Efficient" Diet.

Happy ~~Lazy~~ Energy Efficient Dieting!

Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, Oh My!

2010-04-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

It's been roughly a week, give or take a few days, and I am down 4lbs and have been hitting as many group classes as I can fit into my schedule. I love them. I love them all. For different reasons.

I love Yoga and Pilates for the strength and toning workout they give. I need both. I have atrocious upper-body strength. It's really very very sad. Most people have issues with the "plank" pose, because it requires core strength to stay straight. *I* have a problem with the plank pose because my arms are not strong enough to hold me up. Period. It's pitiful, really. I may have to hit the weights in my non-class times to try to catch up with the learning curve...

Areobics are a whole different ball game. I hit the step class, and didn't feel a darn thing until the next day, my calves were mildly sore. I suspect that it was mostly because I spent most of my time trying to learn the choreography and wasn't focusing on the workout so much. I am guessing that it will get better. That, or I need to raise my step up a hair higher than "almost flat."

Today I hit up kickboxing. It was a blast. I loved it. I find it interesting that I don't struggle with the choreography for kickboxing as much as other classes, so now I can focus on the workout, which was intense. And I love throwing punches. It makes me feel like a badass.

On days where there is just no way I can fit a class in, I try to at least hit the mundane cardio equipment at the gym, even though I feel like a hamster on a wheel. Yesterday I was just about to hop off when Dr. Phil came on the big gym TV, and the show was titled "The Fat War." So I plugged in my earphones and got even more motivated. LOL.

Tonight I will be heading out to the barn to ride the pony and see if my week of intense workouts has helped anything at all in my riding. It shoud be very interesting.

Hitting the Gym

2010-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

As part of my resolution to become a better and more fit equestrienne, I decided to pry my old membership card out of my wallet, blow the dust off of it, and march my flabby butt down to the ultimate site of self-torture: the gym.

Now, I have always been a solo gym-goer. I go alone, park myself on the aerobic equipment for a half hour to an hour, and zone out. Either watch the TVs or plug in the ole' iPod. Occasionaly, if I was feeling particularly motivated, I would jump on a resistence/weight machine if they weren't too busy. I think waiting in line for gym equipment should be illegal.

Now, I'm not saying that there was anything wrong with me forcing myself to get at least 1/2 hour of cardio in. It's better than nothing, that's for sure. But the motivation was lacking.

So, while perusing the Wonderful World Wide Web one day, looking for healthy vegetarian recipes, I stumbed across a fitness magazine web site that I quite like, and within this magazine's HUGE array of articles on everything from yoga to running to healthy eating, I found an article that made so much sense to me. About the power of joining the group classes offered at the gym. About how motivating they are. About how women, in particular, need the social support to continue an exercise program.

So I looked up my gym's group classes, decided that joining yoga would be a good idea for my first group class ever, since it was the least-threatening-looking on one there (Boot camp? Turbo kickboxing? What the hell is Zumba?) and resoved to attend the very next day.

Yoga kicked my butt. It was great. I stayed for the whole hour instead of thinking "eh, a half hour is good enough, and I have things to do," and I gave way more effort than I normally would have on my own. Hmm. Maybe there is something to this group class idea after all.

Yesterday I attended my second ever group class: pilates. Pilates kicked my butt more so than yoga. I am sore EVERYWHERE today, but I am so excited for my next class. Addicted already, I think. Which, to me an my non-motivated self, is a miracle. I would love to be addicted to the gym. Then how easy would this weight loss/fitness thing be? And it didn't help that my pilates instructor promised me that by the end of 30 pilates classes that I would see a noticeable difference in how my body looks and moves. You're ON, sister! Prove it. :-)

Sadly, the only class that I can squeeze in today is the mysterious and elusive Zumba class. Everyone says they are a lot of fun, though. And from what I gather it's more of a dance/aerobics class instead of the strength/toning/flexibility that yoga and pilates provides. Which I should probably incorporate into my class rotation anyway, to keep everything nice and balaced. Will be sure to keep everyone posted on the outcome though. I have zero rhythm. None. So it should at least be entertaining if nothing else.

Goals

2010-03-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

I figure that every good program should start with some goal-setting. Obviously, my biggest goal is to improve my riding. My secondary goal is to look hot in a cute little dress. What can I say? I'm vain. Or I'm honest. Or both. I want to be able to show up to a rated hunter show in my Tailored Sportsman breeches and NOT feel awkward and totally out of place.

So, in no particular order, here is what I am hoping to accomplish with my new exercise obsession:

1.) Improve my flexibility
2.) Tone shoulders and upper arms
3.) Increase upper-body strength (I have terrible upper-body strength. Terrible.)
4.) Increase my endurance.
5.) Lose (or at least reduce) some of these love-handles.

Of course, I'm somewhat certain that focusing on 1-4 will certainly help 5, but I just wanted to make sure it's up there. ;-)

Introduction

2010-03-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

After the vet told me to put one of my equine charges on a diet, I hauled an old bathroom scale out to the barn to start weighing her hay. The easy process of weighing hay (that doesn't involve a hay net or special feed scale) is to weigh oneself, then pick up the hay, and whatever the difference is equals the weight of the hay. The process that I went through was as follows:

1.) Step on scale.

2.) Gasp in astonishment

3.) Realize the scale is telling me that I am the heaviest that I have ever been in my life.

4.) Begin denial process: This is an old scale. It's been in my parents' garage for years. I have no way of knowing if it's accurate. Very likely it's not.

5.) Pick up hay and pout while calculating the difference.

After I completed feeding, and went home, I fearfully climbed onto my own bathroom scale, which I unfortunately know is accurate. For that reason, I don't climb on said scale often. But when I did, I was aghasted to find that the scale at the barn did in fact match my accurate scale at home.

For the next week, I convinced myself that I felt fine. I am still wearing the same sized clothing. I voiced my fears to The Boy, who dutifully consoled me and reassured me that he still, indeed, found me attractive.

Then, a few days later after I put thoughts of diabetes and heart attacks (which run in my family) out of mind, I decided that the pony needed to be trained and sold. It was completely unrelated to the weight issue. I hated riding the pony. I always felt awkwardly huge on the 13.2h dainty, feminine, and somewhat squirrel-y pony. She was sitting in her stall taking up space, and she needs to be sold. Okay, maybe it's not entirely unrelated to my weight; I do feel like I am squishing her.

So, in order to force myself to become more comfortable on the pony, I quit riding my big horses all together and only permitted myself to ride the pony. Within two weeks I was comfortable riding the itty bitty pony, since she was my only mount and I no longer had the "big horses" to compare her to. Her training began progressing very quickly. She learned how to go on the bit and become nice and round. She is getting stronger and stronger and can hold a nice collected frame for longer now. We started working on her canter under saddle as well, since that was lacking from all of her prior education. She canters around lovely as can be, and we are currently polishing up her canter cues. She is a joy to ride- a very naturally talented and athletic pony.

Last week I drove to the Equestrian Center to watch a rated hunter/jumper show. After an hour of watching supreme 5- and 6-figure horses, I was feeling especially motivated, so I drove out to the barn and set up a small (12") vertical fence for the pony and I to negotiate. We hopped over the fence a few times at the trot and once at the canter. When I went home afterwards and reviewed the schooling session in my mind, I decided that I could, indeed, stand to drastically improve my riding by getting more fit. I know I didn't do poorly. But I know that I can do better. It didn't FEEL the same as it used to. And the pony is so talented, that she deserves a rider who is physically fit enough to help her become the best athlete she can be.

I came to the conclusion that it is hardly fair for me to expect my horses to all be athletes, and to turn around and let myself fall apart. I have a gym membership; it is time that I use it.