Do You Ride Horses?

[classi]

So, I had a fantastic hack, for the most part, last night. I really needed that.
Rob said that I might want to shorten my stirrups one hole, I did, and whalla. My leg is magically a lot better. My leg felt so much more solid, it wasn't sliding around much, wow. Riley was moving really weird at the canter for the most part, though, but I'm assuming he was stiff because he wasn't ridden since Saturday.
Flatwork was fantastic, aside from the canter transitions, but I usually don't have problems with those. We worked on flying changes at the end, and that was the not so great part. I just can't get them going from the left to the right! My instructor said that the right to the left would be easy for me, but the left to the right is my bad direction. I was doing everything she told me, and he switched his front end when I asked him, but he wouldn't switch his back end until I circled! I'm getting pretty frustrated.

[Bluebird22]

Amy: Oh my gosh, that is so long! It would be almost imposable for me not to ride or go to a barn for that long! Have a good ride. c:

Monchele: Looking good! You have improved so much! The only little thing were your hands, they seemed a little low to me, but it would have been dark gloves + dark lighting + dark mane = hard to see. again, great job!

Smokey: If I knew something about western,, those questions would be a breeze. With the answers, they are really easy! But good luck anyways.

Scarlet: Im sorry your lesson went badly. Try some back stretches in addition to the squats. It might help. You asked for pictures of the horses and ponies at my barns, here they are!

Rain: That is great! My leg used to have the same problem but shortening the stirrups really helped c:
_________
Old barn:
Rico, the firs horse I road at the old barn <3

This is LuLu

Some of you may remember Captain the ottb I also road.

Fumble

Here is Third, I'm actually not riding her here, someone from my old class was. here gates are amazing!

Then you all know Daly <3

New barn:

Pony

This is Dakota and Robert's owner is riding him here

Earl

Fred

Here is Robert being cute in his stall <3

[Hime]

Lol, I just scored myself a free lesson. L asked if I could come tomorrow at 5 since she has this little kid coming to lesson and the kid's mom is not very nice, not to mention the kid needs to be lead around so walking around for hour by yourself is really boring, not to mention when the mom is mrs.-know-it-all. So yeah, I said yes though I need to be packing and stuff as I'm going for weekend trip with my friends. But come on, almost private lesson and for free, who would say no to that. XD I'm going to be riding one of L's old geldings, not the one I rode twice before. He's palomino and less stubborn, but still very nice and sensitive. But over everything else, I've been 2 weeks off the saddle so I'm kinda jumping for joy inside. :3
Also my got my first job with the club website, update the board and contact info... Which I found out was still 2011 info. -_- Let's see how this works out as I'm totally new with the site system.

[Dolphinlover~]

Before I reply to anyone, I uploaded some pictures from the show to my photobucket account. The password is: horselover

I am in the process of trying to upload the video and get some more pictures up, but feel free to look at the two I have up now and give me some feedback!

Just in case anyone what's to see some pictures from my show (: I will hopefully get to uploading more also. I will try to reply to people today as well, if I get the time.

[stirrupirons]

@Opal: Thank you so much <3 I will definitely work on my leg. I feel like my seat's coming together and now my leg needs to follow c: I need to work on my toes, I have ankle problems though and they just naturally do that

@Blue: Thanks I think my hands were in the right position, yeah my gloves are dark and it was dark so it's hard to see xD

@Horses at your barn pictures:
Austin
Shenny
Peppercorn & Stewie
The minis, Honey's the chestnut one and Frankie is the black one
Fisher, Stewie, Gulliver, Peppercorn
Sparks
Seaweed
Lucky (Shenny in the background)
Conan and Seaweed
The donkeys Gwendolyn and Pinky
Lady
Skipper, Captain, Bill in the background
Popeye
Zena
Sterling
Apollo

--

Yay!!!!! I've got some of my show schedule!!! I'm signed up for a schooling dressage show on June 8th and another schooling dressage show August 17th. I'm thinking about starting jumping in a month or two so I can sign up for the combined test show which is September 14th. There's also going to be lots of game shows but I think I'll just save my money and go to other local schooling dressage shows instead. I'm super duper excited If I can lease Thinker everything will be perfect.

[Hooligan.]

Alrighty guys:

So, last wednesday, the wind on that mountain by our ranch was blowing 80mph straight and the strongest gust of that day was 398mph. Talk about some craziness!!!!!!!! That could probably just about blow the skin off of you!! Almost 11,000 feet above sea level.

[Bluebird22]

Smokey: That, is a lot of wind! I'm fine with a little wind, but not big gusts like that. It also makes pretty many branches fall when get tangled up in my dog long leash. (I don't have a fence surrounding my backyard, so Sophie goes out on a long tether staked in the middle of the yard.) How did your horses/cattle/what ever other animals you have, do in that wind?

Monchele: Those horses are really pretty <3 Good luck with your shows! I'm still looking some small flat shows I can take Bob to this spring. I can't really do dressage because he doesn't have a dressage saddle. If possible, I could do some ground polls at the small schooling show at my old barn. I'm going to talk to Robert's owner and D (my trainer) about some shows.

Dolphin: I saw those, and your picture on JMR, they look really good!

Hime: Who wouldn't pass up a semi-privet lesson, especially have 2 weeks of a riding hiatus? Hope it goes well. Sounds like that page really needed an update! Do you think the horse you will be riding in that lesson be a possibility to ride while Heta is on foal leave? Of course, as long as he fits you. Those kind of parents really bother me. Also the parents who try coaching on the side, /during/ a lesson -_-

______
I forgot to mention my lesson Wednesday went well. I had some thicker socks on so my ankle couldn't stretch down as well which made then grippe. We did a lot of the same stuff. But when I was on the lunge line instead of hold onto the pummel with two hands at canter D had me just hold onto it with one. She said she doesn't like not holding onto anything because Bob trips a lot. D she said my canter seat is 10 times better! And she was telling my mom how good I looked <3 When I was cantering on my own D was amazing on how good I looked! Next week she said I looked good enough to do some stirrupless work again! I can do no stirrups, but haven't done any at canter and my 2-point is pitiful lol! I did work on my 2-point with no stirrups during our cool down on Wednesday, but it is not as good as it used to be. I am going to work more at it on Saturday. I'm hoping to try some walk to canter transitions too then. I really want to do some patterns because I am getting a little tired of just all the same stuff, I just don't have anyone to put any cones to polls down. I would ask one of my parents, but they just stay in the car while I ride because it gets kinda cold. I think I might try laying some down before I mount up then go from there. Any ideas on some good patterns?

[Sadie~Bronson~252]

Okay, so I've missed the past ten pages and haven't actively been here for 14... is there anything important I missed? My computer is being really slow for some reason... probably is protesting being used since I haven't touched it in a week. Anyway, quote anything that you feel is important, and I'll reply to it.

@ everyone who posted pictures, all of those horses are gorgeous! My barn pictures are over at my DeviantArt, link if in the sig.

@smokey, we got hit by 60mph winds in 2011, and that was FREAKY. Strong enough to keep me from closing a freely swing gate, so I can't even imagine what 80mph must feel like!

@blue, that's great to hear your canter has improved a ton! Have you cantered bareback yet? It sounds like you're almost ready to try if you haven't!

Okay, so didn't ride last week, but I'll be heading out to do chores and (hopefully) ride Osti on Sunday. Depends on how cold it is and how much work there needs to be done. And if my friend come up, I might convince her to come out there with me. Or maybe not. I've asked her every week if she's coming up, and she always says no. But she HAS been up, since she posted some pictures up on her facebook of a new horse at Darla's (along with several others I don't recognize.) So at one point, I was lied to, and she DID come up. So I'm not sure if I really want to do anything with her anymore. We were best friends for 7 years. If she's going to allow Darla to continue to pull us apart, then I don't want a thing to do with it. I just don't understand.

Anyway, while I was gone I was busy writing two things. One was a five page essay (and easily could have been longer- I ran out of time) about how leaving Darla's was the best decision I ever made. I have it on my computer, if anyone want to see it! xD
The other was a stupid, last ditch attempt. I'm going to message Bronson's owner on Facebook. Its the last option I have. I was wondering if anyone had better ideas on how to phrase it though... I don't want to sound like a total creep...

"Hello, this is [my name]. I'm not sure if you'll remember, since it was a while ago, but we spoke on the phone last June, and I've been trying to contact you back ever since. I had the pleasure of riding your bay gelding, Bronson, while he was in for training with [Darla's full name] back in May, and I honestly have to say that he was the best horse that I've ever ridden. He didn't give me a single problem and handled everything like an old pro. I really, really liked him. I've been wondering if it would be possible to hear how he's doing now, or to see a few pictures. Maybe even see him again, although I understand if that isn't possible.
Thank you for your time and thank you for the opportunity to meet such an amazing horse."

[Bluebird22]

Sadie: I haven't yet, I did to some trotting with him bareback last Saturday, and that went well. I might try a bit of canter, soon but I'm not sure it really depends on how he feels and if I feel stable enough. I would defiantly read some of it! That doesn't sound creepy at all. You may want to say when he was in trainer with Darla, and what you did. Meaning, let this person know if you just pleasure road him, did training, etc. It may help this person know just how big of a bond you two had. I think pictures are a great idea to put in! That way she doesn't have to commit to being at their house at a certain time or anything. Good luck. It's good you have Osti though, and are eager to ride her! c:

[Toppyrocks]

@smokey and Sadie-
We had this huge windstorm a few years ago that had peak gusts at over 70mph I think. It knocked over hundreds and hundreds of trees in city's largest park (some that are hundreds of years old, so it was really sad) and did damage all over the whole area of the city and all of the suburbs and up the province, too. At the time we hadn't finished our deck, and where the outdoor stairs are now there was no railing or anything, and the wind blew our barbecue off the deck on to the ground below. There was power out all over the place and it was just generally overall really nasty. And your winds were even more than that! At least where you live, smokey, it seems as if you don't have huge massive trees in every yard to fall on houses and stuff.

@smokey-
Well, now I know what those things mean! Learn something new every day xD
And that's my bad, I shouldn't have assumed you knew what I was talking about xD For some reason I thought if you did reining then you must use the same letters, but you don't, which makes sense, so here is what I mean- click. The letters are on the walls of the arena, and while they are mainly meant for riding dressage tests, they are also super super useful for giving instructions and stuff. Like my trainer can say "10m circle at E!" Or "5 steps of sitting trot at R!" or "cut across the arena from K to M." You don't generally use D,L,I and G (I've never actually needed to know where they are, except for L) and in smaller arenas V,S,P and R are just left out.
Also, there's the right amount of space, generally, for a 20m(or 20m-ish) circle at A, C, B and E.
I can explain differently what I meant about that exercise you could do, if you like.