LOCK ME PLEASE C:

[.:HunterJumper:.]

Rode today. ^^ Lesson,I rode a horse named Milton, W T C,I couldn't very well keep his gaits going at a fluid pace,I am very small and He is very big,Now I have to work on using my leggs more and give more of a direct contact. I really hope I jump next weekend. It's my suppost to be jumping lesson,We payed good money for good lessons,And these bore me .-. I have been riding 7 years,But Milton is so different from Guenivere (My jumper lesson pony) and Deacon (My horse). Please.. I want to enjoy my lessons,Not get upset because I am not learning anything at all.

Hopefully gonna ride Deacon again.. I need the break from things,I just wanna go gallop down a field right now.. Gotta wait till tomorrow .-.

[sam sam]

hahaha That's great! Horse secret twins...i see a reality show coming into view! hahahahahahahahaha

Oh, yes defiantly. I would watch it c;

[Coppertop11]

Horse show news! I had a horse show today with Eli (Austin is STILL working on getting better) and it was FANTASTIC! We did a three foot Eq class, an Eq on the flat and a 3 foot medal, and two 2'9-3'0 foot classes. Plus the onther girl who rides him did two 2' classes on him.

To start out I did the eq and medal and my trainer even said I rode better in the hunters then I did in the jumpers. You see, Eli is a jumper, not a hunter, I was doing those classes so I could get Eli calm for the girl to ride him in her first show in a year. But we got a 3rd in the Eq over fences, and a 1st in the medal and the flat. During the medal I was sooo suprised I got first. Quick background thing, I'm awful at callback rounds, I always forget one minor detail. So I got called back to go first out of me and someone else so I thought to myself, "wellp, I guess I'm in second" Because I have soo much difficulty halting Eli all the time, and the course required a halt and the course before the callback I had to use the wall to stop him which was bad because it showed I can't stop my own horse. So I did the course and halted before I got to the rail even so in my head I was screaming with joy. Then I remembered to sit the trot out. I actually did the callback correctly for once! Then the next person went and the only thing I saw was that she halted wayyyy before I did so i thought that I was definately second, but then I got first! Someone told me later that she chipped a jump and tried to halt right after the jump and the horse didn't appreciate that and they had a messy halt.

In the jumpers for the first course I got second because I decided I really wanted to do the tight turns and we did them! But in the beginning I wasn't going fast enough, and my trainer was mad because I put my crop back and don't hit him sometimes instead of just whacking him with it, and I guess I do it in the wrong place? Something like that, and the first part was ucky because he wasn't forward enough. But once we got going it was better. We also got a 3rd in the seccond round, that was a round that my trainer said I needed to just let him gallop a bit in.

Also! The girl that quit the team came to the show to watch. I was so happy she got to see someone else ride the horse she used to ride, Malibu, in the show. The girl who rides Malibu now rode him for only two days and did the 2'6 classes and got like a 3rd, and I think a 4th and a 6th. The girl who quit also said she's going to lease a horse that jumps 4'6 for 550 a month... Does that sound a little off to anyone? I must remind you she lies a lot, and who would lease a horse that jumps 4'6 out and have the people just pay the board?
Oh well

[Livid-Silver]

I see.. That kind of sucks. And with the dark coming so soon it doesn't leave much chance to work in day light. I can totally relate to that, as it's the case here in the winter.
Here it starts to get dark around 10pm,at the moment that is, but it's gradually starting to darken earlier... ): In winter it's quite dark at 4 pm already. Meaning usually in winter the only time we can hit the trails is around noon, which usually limits the trail rides to weekends. : P And when there's lessons during the evenings, times when you can ride can be very limited.

Yeah when Daylight Savings comes along it will be so much better. Winter is just not a good time to do horsey things hey? lol Mum thinks she might be able to get someone to float Donny over for training next Monday so that's good. It'll be our last training session before the comp and I might be able to take him to a local pony club this weekend to work on their cross country course to make up for it. I'd be able to practic my dressage test too since they have a proper sand arena. It's just so wet down here at the moment. The saddle fitter is coming out on Friday to do the saddle so that's good at least. I'm just going to have to use a riser for Wednesday.

@Raindrop yeah it does suck but I'm just going to have to work around it somehow I'm sure I'll eventually think of something XD

And have any of you guys used quater sheets/exercise sheets before? I was thinking about getting one to warm up in for the comps since it is extermly cold here at the moment and I don't want Donny to get stiff. Would it be worth it? I don't really know much about them apart from they're ment to help keep the horse warm when you warm up and prevent chill when cooling down.

[. silent]

I rode bareback on Sadie for the first time on her!! It was fun....until I found that my iPod had fell out of my pocket and is now lost forever in the field....

[eventing.]

Im going riding later. I'm sore from doing 2-point before and I still am. I'm practicing again today and today I know I wont be able to walk. Will report back later on how it went.

[benexo]

I'm so sorry guys, I haven't had a chance to read or reply to any of your messages except for the ones I'm included in as I'm about to leave for boarding school in less than two weeks! I've had absolutely no time ): So sorry guys, I don't want to seem selfish!

Before and after! So much improvement!

The picture on the left is the 85cm/2'7" jump - I'm so in love with Mr. Robster <3 { We reached 90cm/2'9"!! }

He looks amazing! That is some huge improvement there! Both you and Roby 8D I'm sure if you two could stick together you would go far, he seems to have talent. Are you going to be able to ride and see him when you get back?

@ Amy ; He's so cute, isn't he?! Thank you! I'm so happy with him <3 Yeah, at first I thought I knew jumping wasn't for him at all, since he was so bad at it, but now that he's gotten used to it he is showing lots of potential! I think part of the reason is the constant praise and love I give him after any jump, haha (: If only I could stay with him! Who knows, maybe we'd be competing 80cm/2'6" in a year? Ahh I wish. Yes, I would die if I couldn't!! I'll be at the stables asap

@Benexo: That's a clear improvement I see there.

@ Hime ; Haha, I hope so! ;D Thanks hehe <3

@Benexo: meh i forgot to reply to thatDX....anyway i want to say congrats that is a big improvment!! I cant wait to see more picture and perhaps with ahigher jump!^^

@ Mr. Milo ; Thank you so much!! I've got a picture of the 90cm/2'9" jump, I'll post it as soon as I black out my face haha :3

@ Benexo; Oh my gosh you look SO much better!

@ Rain ; Hahaha don't I? xD Thanks <3 I always look better over bigger jumps as well (:

[eventing.]

More Than Rosie Red

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[tiny]

@ happy - what a gorgeous mare! Her saddle pad matches her so well too, hah <3

I'm going riding tomorrow with a western saddle and I'm actually kind of sort of excited.
But first... I have to clean the western saddle.

It's such a pretty saddle, it's just been sitting in a barn for about twenty years. It's this really beautiful almost mahogany color when it's cleaned and it has this super intricate design (in which I have to go in with a toothbrush to get the dirt out. XD)

When I get it all cleaned up, I will take a picture and show you guys if anyone wants to see.
Also, does anyone know how to determine the brand/maker of a saddle? All it has marked on it is "Ft Worth, Texas". I've done a bit of searching on the internet but can't turn anything up.

[Hime]

@tiny: Not sure about western saddles, but usually english ones have some kind of brand on the flap or under it if it has a buckle guard. Sometimes the saddle nail has the maker's name. So I'd look from the similar places on a western one?
I'd like to see what's it like when it's clean, knowing that western saddles can have very pretty details on them.

----
Heta was kinda good today, but then again not. To left at first she was nice and not so clingy on the rein, but when we went to right she felt lot nicer. I took couple canters to right and then changed rein and let her walk with long reins for while before starting to collect her again. It turned into a disaster. Walk was okay, in trot she started to usual corner cutting. Corrected that, but didn't seem to work so well. Then tried canter, first would have been okay, but wrong lead. Tried again which was better. Then she started rushing, cutting corners and running a way in every corner when trotting, even when not asking canter. She was totally ignoring my left leg again and didn't even want to calm down on circles. The best I got was nice and calm on the long sides, then rushing the corner while being all crooked. I let her trot with loose reins for while as that seems to calm her down the best, and funny thing she doesn't cut or rush the corners then... Then the lesson people came in and I had to stop, but I did manage to do some circle work before that. Which was okay, but Heta was really sticky towards the end. I seriously don't understand that horse sometimes, one minute she's all fired up and can't stay calm and then suddenly she doesn't want to move.
After I took care of her after the ride, a group of 'new' people came to ride. They went with L to the arena to watch the lesson. I went there too to ask when I could come to ride on a lesson. L just said 'Well, there's one horse free now so go fetch your helmet.' So I got to ride on the lesson with the new people, and not on Heta. I rode the same gelding I once rode on a private lesson, which didn't go so well. This time it was bit hard on the begining, but went pretty well after I got used to the horse. Could have gone better, and I didn't get to tolt. This time I got him to trot with no problem as soon as I got mind set on it. Turning was still bit complicated, and stopping time to time. XD But he has really nice trot after I got used to it as it is bit different from Heta's trot. He also had a nice canter, for him left was the easier which is opposite from Heta. The only problem in canter was that he would turn way before the corner and really lean inside, I had no trouble staying on, but it surely wasn't nice feeling. My instructor kept telling me to use my inside leg, but nothing really happened when I did. XP It was still nice ride though.