Time Flys

How on earth is it already Monday night?  I've been meaning to post here and I kept falling asleep.  Getting home after 9 pm each night hasn't helped any.  Last week was spring break and on top of being crazy busy there was a death in the family (very old great uncle) which turned the rest of the week into an impromptu family reunion.  With a somber start, yet full of full with my crazy family the rest of the week flew by and suddenly I'm confronted with school again.  I had more awesome riding through Wednesday and then the rain started and didn't really stop until yesterday.  Today I rode Gigi and she was phenomenal!  Seriously!  She finally understands self carriage and we even threw in some canter half pass.  I'm really excited to continue to watch this mare develop I think she has a lot of untapped talent that we are just scratching the surface of.

So much power!
Thanks again to Ellie Cook for the great photos

Wednesday morning I had a couple of great gallops and it wasn't even too cold!

The most kissable white nose ever!

I wish I could gallop her without blinkers cause her face is just too cute to cover up

But that would be like taking the railing of stairs because the building looks nice

Check out dat a$$ (the horse's)

So. Much. Fun!
Thanks to Alyssa for the racehorse pictures!

Ok Ok I'm off to bed, lots to gallop and ride tomorrow and a lab practical for anatomy and physiology.

Jumping the super mare

The super mare being Zida.  Diva is super princess.  We upped the jumps to between 3' and 3'3" and she felt great.  Ok so she felt great over the jumps, she was rather opinionated in between.  I would be half halting like crazy with no response and then suddenly she would drop behind my leg, grrr.  She ended really well and straight over the jumps though.

So much fun!

Love her blaze face

Uh ok

The joys of riding in a tiny tiny saddle

Darn toes point forward why don't you

I've been riding her in her owner's saddle with is several sizes too small for me.  While I can get away with it over smaller jumps, my strange leg position demands I put my own saddle on next time.  I look like I'm ready for steeplechase, they also ride in postage stamp sized saddles.

Tonight I set up some fun jumps at the 100 acres to ride Diva over and of course she chooses to have a very rare day of excitement.  Oh well, we muddled over our usual x-rail and a log, will attempt the new jumps tomorrow or the next day.

Looking deceptively calm here

Happy sore muscles

Before I get excited posting a million pictures, I need to say thank you to Lauren over at She Moved to Texas for running the Equestrian Coach giveaway!  I won a month of learning and have already enjoyed a few videos.  After I explore it more and have used up my month I will do a review.  Also she is also running the blogosphere march madness and my bracket is up!

Today is going to be chestnut horse day.  I have pictures of me working our first set of the season this morning, the pictures are actually from before we got going fast, husband said watching was more important than picture taking (fine fine you are the trainer and all...but I wanted more pictures!).  Note: working is racetrack lingo for going really fast.  A regular ride consists of a slow gallop, 'working' involves pushing for speed or letting them out.  When someone talks about qualifying times for a race a 'work' is how you get them.  Today was just two furlongs, or blowing them out down the lane.

It was so cold!

Getting ready to let 'em go

It was fun, but completely freaking cold!  I'm talking it was 25 degrees, the sun had literally just peeked over the mountains and I'm going flat out on a horse.  My hands were like claws when we got back to the barn, I couldn't even get the saddle off the horse.  This was with leather gloves lined with thinsulate!  I had one more horse to take before I headed off to work and I didn't think I could do it (claw hands and all).  Good news, my husband has some great ideas.  He handed me a pair of latex gloves to put on under my warm gloves.  I was super skeptical that it would make any difference, but it did, it did!  My hands were so toasty warm they were sweating when I got back on horse number two.

On Thursday I rode Gigi in some howling wind yet beautiful sun and a friend took some amazing pictures!

Her muscles are bulkling up!

So shiney

I really enjoy riding her 

Like a boss
Thanks to Ellie Allen Cook for the Gigi photos!

She had a few chestnut mare moments in the HOWLING wind, but overall it was a great ride.  I love how she continues to improve her self carriage with each ride and how the dip between her neck and withers is filling in with muscle.  This mare is going to make a great partner for some one.

Tomorrow is fencing day out at the 100 acres and before that starts I'm planning to ride my guys.  I rode Diva this afternoon and it was very productive.  We walked long and low for several minutes before I picked up the reins.  Then we worked on contact and bend and picked up the trot.  She was a bit fussy, but mostly pleasant.  Then we cantered left no problem.  Then we attempted to canter right.  She takes issue to my right leg occasionally and acts like a total mare.  It started at the end of last fall and so never really got addressed as we entered winter tundra mode.  Today we addressed it and suddenly she can move off my right leg and canter on the right lead all while saying 'yes ma'am!'  Goofy princess!

Cooling out with a nice hack

WINDY!

Woah, yesterday was insanely windy.  I mean move my car while waiting at a stoplight, shake the house, knock over a semi-truck windy.  Note: none of those are exaggerations.

Making our own wind

The weekend was again awesome (well Saturday was).  I galloped at the track, worked the big tack sale,  rode Gigi,  took pictures of Courage, rode/groomed Mojito,  and groomed Diva.  Sprinklerbandit actually did their manes and I did lots of currying.

No clue why his owner chopped off his tail 

Dressage horse?

Vroom Vroom!

Sunday started with a trip to the hospital with grandma,  but she is doing better now.  I rode Mojito again and then the hubby and I went to dinner.

I was still really sore on Saturday which ended up being a good thing for my ride on Gigi.  

Rub from my brilliant idea to gallop with no chaps

I work on her staying light on the reins during each ride,  but when she gets a little fussy or comes up I can just do a large half halt with the reins, soften, and continue on.  Well,  my arms were too sore to hold much weight so I had to really use my seat, leg, core, etc.  By the end she was going better then ever,  we even did a lengthen trot with me sitting!   Thank you sore arms for making me ride better!

From a few rides ago

Mojito continues to improve.  I finally punched more holes in his bridle so it fits right and I lunged him for a few minutes before each ride.  I need to video him lunging so y'all can see his delicious trot and canter!  He stood still for mounting and walked off in a good mood.   He is stretching down well and moving forward in all the walk work,  about 45% of the trot,  and 50% of the canter.   Yes peeps that's right I said canter!   He just picks it up and feels perfectly balanced.  He wants to get all fussy at the trot and then throws mini fits.   They are getting smaller and further apart with each ride.   I have to work to not get in a fight with him as he is such a princess!

Up hill without even trying

Post ride snuggles

This one cracks me up!

Love the baby blue pad on him

So there we have it an actual post with words and pictures again.  I actually typed the words on my phone at school between classes and then added the pictures at home.  It may be my new posting routine.

Whew!

I don't even know where to start!  It has been an insane, but awesome week!

Last Sunday I had a blast doing a jump school on Zida, she is the sweetest mare.  I finally experienced her left drift and worked on it a bit at the end.  I was also working on her not taking the awkward long spot.  It was a lot of riding her hind end towards the bit.


At the track I have continued with a bit of galloping and boy am I sore!  I'm looking forward to the middle to end of the coming week when the soreness will dissipate and leave strong muscles behind.  I don't have any pictures of me galloping yet, but fingers crossed there will be some tomorrow.

This is from the first year I galloped (thanks mom for the picture)

I've been snatching a few moments here and there to read all of y'all's updates, seems like the weather is slowly getting better across the country so we can all get back to riding our horses.  I was planning to ride Diva this week, but instead she decided to slice her hind leg up on who knows what.  She will be fine, and I will probably ride her around at the walk tomorrow, but it is ugly.  I've got to throw in a little husband brag here.  We were going to bring her a shot of dex tonight to help with the swelling and such, but it turns out we were out (on the list to pickup tomorrow).  The hubby still draws up a syringe and I ask what it is, "oh just some adequan (the generic kind) I bet she is sore and it will be good for Mojito too."  Just like that, matter of fact, lucky ponies.  Also, I was watching hunter derby videos while eating lunch at 3:30pm and he sat down and watched them with me, making comments about their jumping form and such. *swoon*

I did all my usual Gigi and Gus and Gunner riding this week, but frankly I'm too tired to go find photos at the moment.

Thursday was pretty epic in the riding and exhaustion department.  I galloped the same red filly that is in the picture in my last post, but this time she didn't have any ace.  Talk about two different horses!  On ace I could gallop her with one hand, without it she was cantering in place and snorting to go.  I got her backtracked and turned around to gallop and thought that if I could hold her for a while she would give it up.  I was wrong.  I held her down the backstretch and into the turn and she was still pulling so I let her pick up the pace down the lane and then got her pulled up again on the backstretch.  OMG I thought I was going to die, not due to speed or anything like that, my muscles just felt like they were made of painful spaghetti.  Also it was cold so my lungs were burning and my arthritic hands were stuck in claw shape.  OOHFF, not as fit as I thought.  Then I rode one more for a different trainer and just trotted as I was still dying a slow and painful death.  Then I went and jumped Courage, promise me not to judge my horrendous position (remember, my muscles almost died an hour earlier and they had not yet resurrected).  He was a total rock star!  Then I rode Gigi and Gus and my old man Roanie pony.  I also did chores all over the place and by the time bed came around I collapsed.
 Yesterday was great too, but that is for the next post.  I'm still instagramming even when I haven't been on the blog, check it out @redheadlins

So many horses

Cute girls on the walker

The last few days have been great!  I've jumped Courage, Zyda, and Diva.  Had great dressage and flat schools on Gigi, Gunner, and Gus.  Yesterday I galloped the first horse of the season and thank goodness for twopointober, because I stood up the whole time and wasn't even too tired!  We had lots of plans for riding and fence building today, but it is currently pouring rain again, fingers crossed it stops when the sun comes up!

Beautiful sun after a beautiful ride!

Not sure what I'm doing here, but Diva is just chillaxing.

Dreaming of trail rides

Look for a before and after of this cutie in a couple months!

The hubby getting all arty while I ride Gus

I've never actually seen Gus move, so fancy

Cutie pie

Yesterday after I rode Diva my friend who owns the 100 acres rode her around.  She love to ride, but hasn't really been able to with a small child and house construction for two years. I will help get her two legged back up, but I thought a nice ride on one that is going will help her get a craving for riding again.  Diva was a total champ!

Happy ladies!

I also made a video of Courage and I over his first cross rail of the year, he is so much fun!  If this rain stops than I will be getting pictures and video of sprinklerbandit jumping her horse!

Sorry for my light on the words posts, I've been bad in the past about not posting when life gets crazy and I'm trying not to do that again.  I'm still taking pictures though so I will keep sharing them with you and write more words when I can:)

So many happenings!

First of all, Husband is home! YAY!

Two fillies checking out the mama and papa duck that return every year to hatch their babies

We have so many fillies and mares this year, it is seriously going to be a 3:1 ratio girls to boys!  Good thing I like mares.  It is such a long trip up from Phoenix that we won't start riding them until this weekend.  A few more horses will arrive this weekend as well.

A couple days ago I rode Gigi and the sprinklerbandit had impeccable phone camera timing!

Her canter keeps getting better

A great lengthening for her, I'm loving the progress

In love with this picture!

She is such a lovely mare, and should be coming up for sale soon.  We got some video as well, but I haven't processed it yet.  Sorry it is a short post again, I've got homework to do and horses to ride between rain storms:)

Also: Send out some thoughts and prayers for Silva Martin (Boyd's wife and dressage rider extraordinaire) who is suffering from a head injury after a fluke fall (thank goodness she had on a helmet!)

Yep, still raining

Darn the luck, the weather forecasters were right, it is still raining.  Yes we need it, this is me not complaining.

Yes I know, lower hay prices...but why?

Last night I was trying to respond to comments on my last post and blogger was being a total PITA!  Blogger also ate my Mojito walking video...so here it is again.



On the exciting news front, the Hubby in en route for home!  Wooooo Hooooo!  That also means that I was down at the track yesterday getting things ready for the five horses he is hauling home and the others that will be coming in from their various owner's pastures around the area.

Can't wait to see some horse heads looking at me

I know I promised some recipes on instagram yesterday, but I've got some prep to do for class and racehorse arrival.  So the food post will come soon, but not today.
To tide you over, and because I don't have any new riding pictures, here is Zelda totally being princess and the pea.

Saddle pad addiction?

Also her and Panda just being cute together!

Spider on the ceiling 

Warm water heater

Well that's all for now, I will have pictures of new horses tomorrow though!

Weekend Update

As if, I wish I was as funny as the SNL crowd.
First of all, shout out to the hubby who won one in Phoenix!

Zoom zoom!

Saturday included work at the tack store, new jeans at the farm supply store (on super sale), visit with Grandma, and then finally the rain stopped and I went and rode Diva and Mojito!

 I made an elevated pole (we can't really call that a jump) and Diva was as thrilled to go over it as I was.  She was also a thousand times more coordinated than the last time we jumped (months ago), yay for being a more spatially aware 5 year old.

Shameless selfies, totally Diva's idea 

Gotta love the OTTB shirt and Equestrianista necklace (thanks for the bling mom!)

Why hello Diva

 Mojito was stubborn to start and then he was a star too.  We just walked over the pole though.

Here comes another rain storm

He loves to snuggle

He even let me use my phone to video while we steered one handed!

Then Sunday I did lots of homework, the dishes, got some groceries, rode Gunner and Courage in the rain, fed my guys in the rain, cooked dinner and cleaned tack with sprinklerbandit (and it was still raining outside).  Courage was a rockstar, I even used spurs for part of the ride.  While he dealt with them I also had to be just a bit careful so I took them off so we could really get to work.

We also got some video, including a hilarious spook!  I'm pretty sure it was caused by the bunny.  There will be cantering video eventually as well, but I will leave that for sprinklerbandit to share:)



All in all, a fun weekend.  Tomorrow look for some more food and kitten pictures as it is still raining so probably not much riding is going to happen.