Ok Ok

Here I reveal part one of the mystery.  Bridger is going up for sale!  A serious weight of my shoulders.  He has turned into a fun horse that is straight forward to ride, in a confined space.  He needs a home that wants to ride in a dressage arena everyday, not out across fields and such.  He is a round hole with a square peg for me, I'm excited to find him the perfect home.

Yahoo!

We did a confirmation photo shoot with him last night, I need to go through about a million shots and will share after I do.  There are some seriously entertaining scenes!  Think epic Mojito faces.

In other news, I'm headed to Fresno this morning to see my husband and then drive our truck home while he heads to Phoenix with his car and the horses with the shipper.  SO Excited to see him!

Yesterday I also rode Diva and you guessed it, she was great!  Well actually she was a bit pissy about working on circles so we took off across part of the hundred acres.  I haven't ventured too much other than right around the barn area and the one trail ride that the sprinklerbandit took with me.  We started out with some loops returning to where we usually ride, mostly for the sake of the grey boys and then it was off into the distance.  We rode down to where the indoor arena will be put up, over near the creek bed, around the hay barn, through some trees, and across some varied terrain.  She didn't bat an eye, my reins were long and she just powered out.  Uhhh, try to keep us in now, adventure day will be everyday!!!!!

Indoor will be towards that
barn

Future xc course

Looking towards the dry creek bed,
gallop sets anyone?

 I picked up a 81" saxon for Diva.  Not my favorite brand, but good to have back up blankets, I will keep looking for something nicer.  It was barely used and only 40$, worth it.  Slightly scary, it just fits, like if she grows any it won't be long enough.  0_o  Seriously!?

Please stop growing

 So this impending road trip is in all-a-y'all's favor, I may get bored enough to share what the more exciting second part of my big surprise is!
Hint: I am carefully following this guys entries.

??????

I have some seriously exciting news.  It isn't all hammered out yet, so I'm keeping it vague.  I'm comparing it to finally getting a splinter out while eating strawberry rhubarb pie.   I had had some nagging stomach pain due to indescision, and as soon as I commited to my plan my heart started racing in a good way.  I'm talking 12 cups of coffee combined with morning of cross country way.  I was trying to study for a test when my descision making went down (terrible timing brain) and needless to say not sure how the exam went.  School aside, lets do a happy dance.  Were you wanting some clues?
1. Pertains to some info from my husband (who is training racehorses in California).
2. May have something to do with this guy:

Hmmm

3. Nope no more hints.

I will give you some fall photos though

Getting blankets ready for winter

Desert clouds

It felt like you could reach right out and grab a handful of cloud

 

My ponies with the setting sun.

Adventures in sage

If Bridger had gone on the trail ride it would have been 'adventures in space.'  But he didn't I got to ride my friend's mostly trusty Arabian, Topper.  I rode him once about a year ago on a rather lengthy conditioning ride, this time was a laid back long walk as he is returning from an injury.

Last year, headed up a big big hill

Further up the hill

I really love trail riding (on the right horse), it brings back memories of my roots in endurance.  Its like it lines up the world and shakes your thoughts into the right places.

I couldn't believe how many ladies I knew were at the trail head headed back as we headed out, so nice to see dressage riders stretching their limits.  Off we went me, my endurance friend, sprinklerbandit, and another fellow eventer from out of town.  The four horses were going two different paces and we naturally broke into pairs with several hundred feet between.  Arabs in the back, eventing horses in the front.  I had to laugh a bit that the endurance horses were slower, granted I use the term loosely as Topper really thinks he is a dressage horse, and the other arab was only on her 3rd trail ride since starting her second career after racing (yes around a track like thoroughbreds do).

She says this is much more interesting than turning left.

Topper was a little obnoxious, but considering it was his second ride after some time off he did great.

Classic Topper attitude

He says, "Now you try to strike a pose Lindsey." 

"Oh goodness look away from the camera Lindsey, think 'blue steel' like me!"

Finally not making an awkward face!

The weather was perfect and the views absolutely glorious!  Typical of the high desert, when the sun dipped below the horizon the temps started a drastic drop making the last part of the ride just a bit chilly.

Finishing with the sun only touching the tips of the hills

Looking out across the valley, those mountains in the distance are a solid 50 miles away

Bam, inspiring vista

Riding the ridge

Today I rode Diva in the field while the boys were locked in their new pen that I built on Friday.  I fell in love with her all over again.  We just cruised around and she had a swinging walk and a relaxed demeanor.  I got Bridger out to ride, but we ended up just grooming as the rancher to the west turned out cows on a new section and they were very distracting (and I wasn't in the mood for a fat lip).

He did agree to having his picture taken:)

Toe trims

News bulletin here...Mojito just got his new shoes sans drugs and twitch.  The farrier and I were thrilled!  We really took our time and he would hit each hoof with the hammer until Mojo figured he didn't need to throw a fit and then we would go to work.  Keeping the pace slow really made a difference for him, he is the type of horse that once he gets a bit crazy he stays that way.  By the end his eyes were half shut, I was so happy to share my fun horse with the farrier, he won't think I'm nuts anymore.  Diva also got new shoes and her feet are looking really nice.  Bridger was passable and just got trimmed, he seriously has amazing feet.  Mojito actually has great feet too, but I keep front shoes on because he has a tendency to wear his toes off first and get a bit clubby.  I didn't take any pictures of their feet, boring, but I will share some sunsets and sunrises from recently.

Mojito likes a good view

Sunset over the little ponies

Sunrise on the way to feed my guys

a fall sunrise

A sparkly morning after rain

Sunrise make even road construction pretty

Sunset after an incredible storm came through.

I sometimes wonder about poets' tendency to over write about things like sunrise and sunset.  Then I will be enveloped in the rays of a glorious sunrise and as though it brings my creative blood to the surface, I start thinking in sentences ridden with convoluted usage of adjectives and personified objects.  Someday I will write a book, or many books.  They will books that transport you to another place or another life, an escape from whatever your norm is.  With a landscape so rich it leaps from the pages and fills your living room, I want to write a book that can't be put down.

Jumping and a Challenge

Ok, challenge first.  L and Hilary are running a twopointober contest and today I joined in the fun and pains and got my baseline.  Drumroll please: 12:02!!!!  12 minutes, I think sprinklerbandit got bored timing, I even tried mixing it up with walk/trot/canter transitions and some leg yeilds.  I will be bringing an actual watch for future timing so that the smartphone doesn't have to be held in one's hand for so long.  My only worry is if I will be able to improve very much on it, prize for longest baseline anyone?

Yeah for time spent galloping the racehorses

Ok on to the jump lesson as promised.  It. Was. So. Fun.  I rode an older mare that I have actually taught some pony club kids on before, but never ridden.  She was a total blast.  She started out behind the leg which the intrepid instructor warned me about so I did some forward and back in the canter and worked on getting a feel for her gaits.

Looking for our line

We started over two gates with flowers two strides apart.  The second time through I remembered that I could in fact sit up, steer, and keep my leg on.  Then we moved on to a forward five stride bending line.  After that it was a two to a two, and another two stride elsewhere in the ring.  Then we put it all together in a fun course with some tight turns.  Corvi (the mare) was a champ.  I had a few lines where she was still behind my leg and we would muddle through, but we would come back around with more pace and fly through.

Too much pace here, flying!

Ready to go attack a cross country course

The biggest challenge for me was trusting her to jump and being confident about our take off and striding.  After riding greenies and dishonest horses for so long it was really a challenge to ride forward to the jump with out getting defensive.  We worked on it and talked about it and came out the other side.  Seriously couldn't stop grinning.  The last jump was bigger than I've jumped in quite some time (+ side of 3'3") squee!

The big finish

Yahoo!

 Sprinklerbandit even took a video of our last line (thank you!).

As I started out I was worried that I would be sloppy in my form, but over all it felt good.  Steph was impressed with my riding and after my last jumping lesson it was the confidence boost I needed.  I am going to try and make this a regular occurrence.

Normalcy?

I don't even know what that is.  The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of fun with mi madre in town.  Lots of riding, lots of shopping, lots of friends, and oh yeah lots of school.  I managed to pull a 96% on an anatomy and physiology lab exam, woot woot!  I've had some good rides on the misses Diva and Gigi.  I've still been riding Gunner as well and his flat work is really coming along.

Impersonating a dressage horse

Gigi looking like a million bucks, who knows what my back is doing, doh.

She is starting to use her behind more while cantering!

The base of her neck is starting to fill in

Such a cute girl

My three are all getting their feet done on either Friday or Saturday, yeah!  Diva has grown enough hoof that I think her feet will look really good with new shoes.  Also planning a trail ride with friends for Friday evening, I can't wait!  Finally here is a preview for the next post:

I had a jumping lesson and it was a complete and total blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some nice rides

So the excitement that was back to back horse show weekends has died down.  I have been enjoying the fall weather and getting rides in on my ponies.  Diva is feeling great again and if we did a walk trot test tomorrow I think she would get a solid 35.  Her flat work is progressing leaps and bounds with each ride, I also predict that the next time we jump she will feel super as well.

Yes those are jeans

First ride since the show

If only I was sitting up

Elegant princess horse

Bridger has also been doing awesome, if I keep him in his comfort zone with a little pushing of the limits here and there he does well.

His canter is getting more balenced

Fun times

He will be fancy too!

And then there is Mojito.  I had a few very pleasant rides on him after his teeth got done.  Then the other night a friend came out and rode him while I rode Bridger, every time she would try to pick up the trot he would do a tiny hop/buck and stop.  He was fine in the walk so we cruised around all over and then got off pulled his saddle and I lunged him and he was fine, strange.  So we put them away and I thought about it on the way home.  Suddenly it hit me, that was his first ride with someone other than me in the irons!  Problem solved; not.  I went out to ride him two days later and he started doing the same thing with me in the walk!?  I wondered if his back was hurting, I stood in the stirrups with my weight more over his withers and he stepped right out, sat down and he slowed up and got pissy.  So I pulled tack again and went over his back with a fine tooth comb and it feels like he has a vertebrae out of place.   I hopped on bareback (a first for him) and he went around no problem.  Without a saddle my weight was in front of the misalignment.  So now to fiddle around with my wallet and find some cash to give to the chiropractor, fun times.

sleepy boy