So I forgot to mention that we finally found out what gets Diva's goat. Clippers.
Yup she looked like this guy (who is a total diva, I may or may not have used to watch ANTM)
After our great ride on Sunday I untacked in the cross ties and then went to clip her whiskers. I turned them on, no response. I put them near her nose, no response. Now she is off the track and our racehorses can be clipped without a halter, bad news, she wasn't in our barn. I touched her nose with the clippers and cut exactly one hair and she went all:
Only instead of a hurricane it was clippers
I have never seen her get worked up beyond a twitchy ear. Needless to say, she still has whiskers. I will me adding clippers to my brush bucket and she will be getting rubbed with them everyday.
I rode Bridger on Monday and he finally stood still at the mounting block, win!
I rode Diva tonight and she was fun as usual. We worked on w/t/c and got the right lead on the first try! Then we worked on standing still, very difficult indeed. She seems to have gotten it into her head that since she is the best at lots of things that she no longer needed to stand on a long rein, or ground tie. By the end of the ride she was standing still, and when we untacked the leadrope was on the ground and she didn't take a step, yeah for brains!
Moon ears
Power is hooked up in the tackroom now, yeah!
Earlier today I rode Gunner, his dressage is really coming along! His canter actually had some self carriage.
My prize from twopointober came in the mail from L. Williams, complete with the sweetest hand written card. Yeah for cards! I can't wait to try the products, but winter is upon us, so it may have to wait until spring. At which point Diva and Mojito can be the shiniest softest horses ever!
Back to the weekend, Diva jumped like a champ. Friday Sprinklerbandit came over and rode Bridger and I rode Diva on the flat and they were both pleasant. Well, Bridger was nice, and Diva was a bit pissy. I was cracking up at her ill fated attempts at bucking.
In the attempt to buck (swishing tail) her canter got more uphill, yeah!
This is getting to be her norm
So cute!
Nice finish to a Friday
Then Saturday was Idaho Dressage and Eventing Association's year end party. There was a great talk by Trina Atkins about bio-mechanics of horse and rider, there was some really good information. Then it was raffle ticket selling/ check in time where Sprinklerbandit and I manned the table. Then food, then raffle and awards. I won a sweet bucket with a fleece grooming mitt, apf, a hat, a bag, and a bath scrubber in the raffle, yeah! Can't wait to use the apf. The night ended with some crazy dancing which is always good.
Also got some good kitten love!
On Sunday I loaded Diva up in the trailer and hauled her over to play with some jumps and her buddy Courage. It was by far the best she has done. We did a larger vertical and even a scary black tube. She had no hesitation, in fact by the time we got the video she was a bit underwhelmed by the jumps and just sort of cantered across them.
Don't judge my position, bleck
She is so cute, and check out that hock engagement!
Possibly a schooling show this weekend, and then a lesson next week. Yes, an actual lesson on my own horse, I am beyond excited!
I almost forgot to mention, go check out Hillary's contest for saddle soap, I want some so bad. Like seriously, I will have to order some if I don't win!
Diva was thinking maybe she didn't need to. I rode her yesterday after several days off and she was pretty good. She started out just a tad bit tense, I took a few trot steps on our circle to make sure there were no bucks or scoots and then off we went for a ride around the property. She seemed like maybe she had something up her sleeve, but I think it was actually just a bit of pissy mareness (I guess sometimes she just can't help it, hey neither can I). *note: spell check wants to change mareness to maleness...yup that works too, I know many many pissy males. After our cruise around (during which I was noticing a lack of willing bend to the right) we headed back to the circle for some actual work. She is so fun it is easy to just keep cruising, but I want her to be the best. So work it is. She is kinda funny, as in the trot she bends both ways and feels great, but in the walk if I try to bend right she just braces and falls in. So around and around we went and I just kept methodically asking for some give, finally she licked and chewed and gave. Then we were able to do figure eights with soft even bend both ways. After that we took a break and cruised on the buckle then it was back to work with some of her best trot yet, then more on the buckle. I was super pleased with her.
Kittens helping with the blog
Sorry, I didn't even get an ear shot. I also got to ride Courage yesterday which is always a treat, sprinklerbandit has really been working hard with him and he felt great!
So uphill!
He is going to be so fancy!
And finally a throwback to my first year on racehorses
Ok guys here it is, a post about how to make sparkly fly bonnets! Because who doesn't want some of this:
Imagining this with a black bridle and silver clincher
First off, go to a bead store and find your favorite beads. I'm always drawn to pearls, but beware they don't sparkle in the sun.
So many sparkles!!!
Try to keep with one or two general colors, unless you want a rainbow bonnet.
I want the purples on a grey bonnet
Also pick up some filament (heavy fishing line works, good bonding time with the hubby at Cabella's anyone?) and some clamp shells.
These are for the ends
First cut a generous piece of line, string on a shell and a small metal bead
This is also how you finish the strand so these pictures work for both
shell plus bead
Strand back through the hole in the shell and pull tight
Clamp the shell shut with pliers
After the first end is on string on the beads. I like to lay out a pattern on a towel so they don't roll away. I am rather OCD so I really like a perfect pattern, but with all the sparkle and the distance that this will be seen from it doesn't matter too much.
Strand 1 under construction
Me being OCD
Strand 2 under construction
After you have the strand finished off pin it on the bonnet
Lay it on
Pin it
Sew it on. You can stop there or add another strand for crazy bling
Give it a try, go crazy.
So if you read this and are feeling totally overwhelmed, sprinklerbandit and I are thinking about making these to sell, would anyone be interested?
I can't believe I won! I thought for sure someone would grind it out longer than me. Thanks to Hillary and L for a fun contest and a great month of twopointober! I can't wait to check out the prize:)
:)
Day one
Random practice
Almost final
Final final
While I'm not taking the stirrups off my saddle for the next month I do think I will remember to do a little no stirrup work here and there. That is something I always 'put off til later' so I'm committing to doing it once a week. I ride too many wacky horses on wacky terrain to do more than that! Congrats to all the people that stuck it out and made their friends wonder about the self infliction.
I took my final final time. I don't think I will really try to improve on it in the future, due to it wasting an entire ride. Yes folks I two pointed for 31:03. Thank goodness sprinklerbandit came along and we chatted the whole time, if not for that I would have gotten bored and gave up. Also good news, I did it on Bridger and he did not smash me in the face.
Yeah Bridger!
I suffered more from lower back, hip, and knee pain than muscle pain. I had taken my original final time on Diva and gave up at 20 minutes, then I thought, 'nah I can do better.'
Yes there is a pink bow in her tail again, so cute!
Other than that nothing too exciting to report here. I have the pictures to put together a 'how to' post on sparkly ear bonnets so stay tuned for that!
So I took my final two point time, but in the spirit of normal for me procrastination I think I will take one last one on tomorrow the final day of two point torture. You know, just in-case I can grind it out a little longer! That said, Diva and I have had the most incredible week. I'm sorry for being positive kind-of all the time, but really I'm not sorry. I've had a lot of ups and downs and right now most things are up and I'm focusing on it. When things are down I try to not focus on it, yes I have been accused of acting like Pollyanna.
I seriously just found that whole movie on youtube! If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. Total classic, I don't even know how many times I watched it as a kid.
*spoiler alert*
Pretty much she is always positive, then she gets crippled and the whole community that she taught to be positive supports her and helps find the joy again.
I wish they still made movies like that!
Woah, rabbit trail, I do believe there is serious danger of me becoming a crazy cat lady/distracted professor type when I am old.
Back to horses.
So Diva did this this week:
Figured out how to jump like this!
And trot like this!
and this!
and this!
Everything just started clicking for her and it felt amazing! The next step will be to continue developing her caboose so the balance can come up off of the forehand. That will involve a million transitions and hill work. Speaking of hill work, she also did this:
We walked down this
And then back up it
We went on another trail ride!!!!! Just a couple of OTTB's being the best! There was one mishap that ended ok that sprinklerbandit discusses here. The part where I tumble to the ground happened due to my arms only stretching so far between Diva and Courage's reins. I only tumbled off of my own two feet so no injury. Then they were both the best...pretty sure Diva and Courage are have a 'best at' contest. Currently his jumping and uphillness is winning, but her general flat work is winning. I need to remember to get a picture of the scary strange walkover thing that caused the early trail ride mishap (no worries buddy it freaks me out too). I'm so happy to have the combo for the lock on the legitimate gates. Seriously though, the ride was amazing. Diva was on the buckle, figured out balance going downhill, and how to stay on the trail. I'm so in love with her right now.
Bliss
Best time with buddies!
Ok so the one thing that I don't love about her is her bottomless stomach. OMG. That mare eats so much food.
