London 2012

I've been filling out my passport renewal forms in anticipation for a big trip to India next year. This trip has been in the works since I was in college and I am going with my old professor/mentor. He just got back from his 7th or 8th trip there. He sent me inspiring emails while he was away saying things like "India is calling".  I can hardly believe that this time next year I will be writing about my experiences there.  As a way to follow through on my goal of going there, I stopped cutting my hair about a year ago...I will cut it on the banks of the Ganges (and bring it home to donate). I decided to forgo any other travel plans until I make this trip happen, but I do have a little trip planned afterward.

The 2012 Olympics!

With a sister living in London and a brother in Holland, it will make acquiring tickets relatively painless (the process is INTENSE). I'll have a place to stay when I go over and my Dad has already offered to fly me over to Ireland to visit him after the games. Being that I am the only horse lover in the family, convincing anyone else to join me at the 3 Day Event will be tough -- I don't actually mind though. I am completely happy doing my own thing. I just hope that we can all agree on a few events around the same time so we get to enjoy the Games together in some format. They're only selling 12,000 tickets to the cross country day and knowing what a HUGE following eventing has in Britain makes each and every one of those tickets very special. Basically, to get a ticket for any of the events there is an application process...UK residents getting first chance at any available tickets. I sent my brother information on the dates and events I want to go to with priority on the cross country day. When you send in your application you basically state which events you want to go to in order of most desirable...it's not guaranteed that you will get the one you really want. You are notified within a month or two about which tickets you got. I can't even imagine the organization and management a process like this takes.

So fingers crossed that my brother can make this happen!

100th Post -- and time to reflect

It's nearly a year to the day that I started this blog. Actually it's been 368 days. It seems a bit surreal. For one thing, I have never, ever, ever been able to keep up with a journal. Generally, I think they jinx my life so at the first sign of detriment I stop...evident by a stack of half-started paper journals under my bed and a handful of blogs under construction. Truthfully, I never thought I would keep up with it outside of my superstitions. I get distracted easily, involving myself in various projects to fill as much of my spare time as possible. But, over the last year, I started to feel a real sense of accomplishment from writing here, collecting friends and readers along the way, and discovering something truly satisfying about the ability to look back the last year chronicled. While I know my writing skills are sub par (the result of too much art school), I feel like what I type here comes from the heart, and I consider this space quite sacred. I've found myself touched and inspired by your blogs and that alone keeps me coming back, painstakingly typing out my thoughts and feelings.

St. Patrick's Day

"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." William Butler Yeats

New book entitled...Prince of Wales OR Get Off My Damn Leg!

Though I have rarely worn spurs throughout years and years of riding, I am a strong believer in backing up aids, either with a whip or spurs and preferably being equipped during times of frustration...having to get off to fetch said backup can be downright frustrating and counter-productive. Anytime I've hacked out without a stick I have ALWAYS regretted it, as the predictability of a trail ride is like trying to see into the future and I wind up having to yank a branch off a tree to reaffirm my position. I'm not against either when used correctly, ie. The Persuasion Stick (sometimes horses just need ahem, encouragement -- or perhaps, a reality check) and certainly spurs hold a special place. That special place is allowing your leg to be effective without exhaustion. Particularly on a horse that has gotten a bit "dead" to leg in general. I have seen photos of Kazi ridden with a dressage whip, but I have also heard stories of him been rough handled at the track and based on how I've seen him spazz when he feel trapped, I'm going to stick to spurs for now (I've also seen him ridden in spurs and he does really well). Looking at some photos of me riding him last weekend I noticed that my leg was in this intense position trying to get him aware of it. If he was a horse I knew a little better I would probably get on and if I got no response he'd get a swift smack behind my leg -- generally that's all it takes some horses to humbly respect your leg. Sheesh, this paragraph makes me sound like a bully. I'm really not. I'd like to think that the best system is to teach the horse to respond to the lightest of aids. I've seen Kazi be ridden (and ridden him myself) enough to know he's ignoring us a little. I think some of it has to do with fitness, but also, I think he's smart and he's looking for ways to evade the tough work. One thing I know for sure, is that no matter how out of shape I might feel, my inside right thigh should not be burning every time I get off!

A request

Now that I am nearing my 100th post, it would be super nice if you are a curious reader of mine, that you might officially "follow me". I took a quick look at my stats today and was quite astounded at the depth and breadth of my readers (and lurkers)!

So follow me! And, if I am not already following you get after me!

one of my favorite sites

I have been obsessed with this site for years, both as a cynic and as a photographer:

www.asofterworld.com

This set of images comes from there and made me think about how us horse people justify riding these 1000lb+ beasts.

hehehe.

finally, a few moments to play catch up!

Work and life have been busy and productive so I've been completely slacking with the journal entries! Not to worry, I HAVE been making time to read everyone else's blogs, it's only been my own that has suffered.

Kazi says "pbbbbbttttt"

In the last few weeks, I have gotten to ride Kazi two more times. The second ride was awesome and ultimately determined whether or not I would lease him (I am). He was really responsive to me (still a bit stiff and not forward enough) but after we warmed up he loosened up quite a bit. Although he's outside all day, his turnout is rather small and certainly not big enough for him to really stretch his legs or back (more on this later). The beau came to meet him for test ride #2 and he was instantly impressed with Kazi's personality. Yay! I really wanted to see how his brain worked so I asked quite a bit of him on that ride. We worked on LOTS of lateral stuff and he was super cute trying to figure things out. His groundwork training really helps with this and you can almost see him translating the Parelli work to stuff under saddle. I'd ask for a turn on the haunches and he'd look at me with a big question mark and then I would make his body move and a little light bulb moment would happen and he'd say, "Oh, THIS...ha, I know how to do this". Each movement became easier and easier as he figured out what I was asking of him. By the end of our ride he was chewing and happy and had created tons of foam! D said that she hadn't seen him like since his trainer rode him last year! Hooray! He was rewarded for a great ride by some hand grazing on the fresh spring grass that is poking up around the arena.

I went to see him last Saturday and the girl who trained him post-track was there too. It was awesome to see her ride him because she didn't let him off the hook for one second. He's completely the kind of horse that needs to be pushed through the sillies. He looks to his rider for security and without it he freaks a little. He was especially goofy on Saturday. He was leaping around the arena, spooking at things he's seen a million times and just being a baby. He would get all bunched up at the scary end of the arena and then spook at something. He was being particularly sticky about moving forward and after she hopped on him and put him through his paces he was much better. I realized that using a small set of spurs will help tremendously (she was riding in some). At this point in his fitness he requires SO much leg that you become exhausted riding him. I really want to improve his willingness to move forward, and then forward into contact. He'll take up contact, but it's not always correct. Unfortunately his owner has been taught some incorrect things, and I don't want to offend her or rub her the wrong way, but I'm not going to ride him that way. For example, she told me to drop my hands low and wide by my thighs and see-saw him into a frame -- it makes me cringe. To be perfectly honest, I'd rather him trotting around in a lowish frame moving out before I ever ask for contact. I want him moving off my inside leg into my outside rein (which right now he seems to ignore outside aids). I pride myself on having light and quiet hands and that's not going to change. Hopefully, getting to ride him by myself will help and I found myself a bit frustrated Saturday with the tips I was getting. I also ordered a new set of spurs which should be arriving in the next day or two. I want to be able to focus on getting him forward without having to use every inch of my body to balance him. I also don't want him to get dull to leg aids. Right now I feel as though I am just nagging him with my leg. The other thing to note is that I got on him without doing any ground work first. Granted I have only ridden him 3 times, but my test ride was in 50 mph winds and he wasn't nearly as silly as he was last Saturday. I think it helps get his brain in the right place and puts him into work-mode a little easier. I also got a super nice compliment from his owner Saturday when she said watching me ride him the week prior made her feel very jealous (not in a bad way mind you).

vrrroooommmm!

After everyone rode him we free lunged him in the arena. I really wanted to see him move out and I figured it would be good for his body and brain. It was just incredible to see him run around, holy hell can he run!

Kazi says "Go fast, turn left!"

Here are a few photos of him from the track borrowed from his owner's facebook page:

win photo!

*so sad he can't jump, he's got a beautiful hind end

Hopefully, I can get out there this weekend and have another ride on him. Last week it was so warm I rode in a t-shirt. This Saturday it should be close to 60 so I can't wait! I'll try to get some photos or video of the two of us this time.

Let the journey begin.

Second verse, same as the first

Of all of the days I could have test-ridden a potential lease horse, Saturday was likely the worst possible day. Let's recap...Friday: 69 degrees and sunny -- in fact, I finished up the day in a sleeveless dress on a 19th floor balcony in center city with a glass of wine in my hand. Saturday: a high of 48 and windy...very windy. Gust of 50 mph! I had entertained the idea of riding my bike to the bus stop, but instead I walked which proved to be quite a challenge in that wind. I got a call from Kazi's owner en route and I was seriously concerned she was canceling on me due to the weather. I feel like there are two types of horse people -- those who only ride when everything is JUST right, and those who ride no matter what. I've always been on of the latter variety, but you can't really expect everyone to be the same way. She wasn't calling to cancel though, she was checking to see if I wanted anything from the coffee shop (remember, we haven't even met yet -- aren't I supposed to be trying to win HER over?) I decided to take the bus because I was curious just how convenient it would be for me, and if is was, it would boost any opinion I had about the horse/owner. I can literally step outside my office, hop on the bus and be at the stables in 35 minutes...from the stop, it's a 5-10 minute walk through a little cul-de-sac.

How Google changed my life

It's hard to imagine life without things like cellphones (*or smartphones for that matter), the internet, and google maps. And while a big part of me yearns for those simpler times, I embrace most new technology as it arrives and try to fully utilize in my daily life -- otherwise, why am I paying for it?

In my search for instructors, horses, and riding situations of all types, I like to use Google maps to determine whether or not driving to a particular place is even "worth it". Admittedly, I am mostly using it to find out suggested driving routes and travel time, but the satellite and street view functions serve an important purpose too. Case in point:

The overhead view of the farm I am visiting tomorrow. Swoon. Look at that lovely outdoor ring (lighted) with new footing. And the path leading off to the top right is the entrance to Fairmount Park, and 56 miles of horse friendly trails. It's always amazing to me that places like this exist just a stone's throw from the busy city. I am actually going to attempt to take public transportation out there tomorrow, just for shits and giggles. I could drive (better yet, I could ride my bike there), but after checking the route it's an easy bus ride and it will confirm any doubts I have about making this place work if it goes smoothly. Who would have thought I could find a horse I would like, a place close by (manageable by a variety of transportation means), at a reasonable cost? The access to the park is just the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned.

I spoke with the horse's owner last night and she's awesome. Not only are we both photographers, but we seemed to have loads of things in common, most importantly our approach to horses. It's almost strange that she and I haven't crossed paths in this very small city at some point. I found out a little more information about the new horse. First, his name is Kazi. He is an OTTB and his registered name was Kamikaze Flyer. He was rescued from the Camelot Auction years ago by another woman who, with the help of his current owner, helped to nurse him back to health (mind and body). She said when they brought him home, he weighed 800lbs and he was a nervous wreck...poor fella! After years together, his first owner moved away and offered him to his current owner and of course she gladly accepted. She had just wonderful things to say about him, and I couldn't be more excited to meet him.

So, tomorrow at noon I will hopefully meet my new equine partner!

*Image borrowed from Courtesy Stable's website

Shopping around

One of the benefits and burdens of essentially being my own boss at this job is that I can divide my days up however I see fit. Generally, this time of year is a little slower for us and with my new assistant being incredibly efficient, I have quite a bit of extra time on my hands for Internet "research". Admittedly, I spend way too much time reading blogs and goofing around, but who cares?

I've been feeling a bit lackluster about the mare I tried out on Tuesday, and even with my flu set aside, I'm not sure she's the kind of horse I should be getting involved with. The owner seemed very emotionally attached to the mare after going through what sounds like a pretty traumatic experience with her mystery illness last year, and although she claims she'd like to make this horse her dressage mount, I'm not sure what the future holds for her. She wasn't unfit, per se, and I am certain that muscle and fitness will ultimately reveal what her limitations might be, but without solid exercise and a 'program' I can't see this horse being much to ride. If she were MY horse, it would be one thing (ie. Pia's Mom, you do anything and everything it takes to make the horse happy and sound), but she's not. There were just so many questions that came up while I was riding her and a haunting image of what felt like a hind end that was disengaged from the rest of the horses body. I've never really felt anything like that before, and I commented on it saying, her back end felt "jiggly". It was a strange sensation. Thinking about it, I didn't ask for more out of the mare because it was unclear if she was reacting out of pain -- her body language sure suggested as much. If the owner had implied the mare was just lazy or stubborn I would have really gotten after her, but I don't think that was the case at all. So, what would I really get out riding this horse? Frustration? Certainly. A sense of accomplishment? Well, maybe. Beyond her being difficult to catch, I'm not sure the situation at the farm is something I would enjoy and although it would be nice to have an indoor to myself, riding alone is boring and potentially dangerous. It's easy enough for the horse-crazy part of my personality to want to ride anything that comes my way, but I'm not a kid anymore and my standards have gotten higher. I can assume this mare would likely be a near free lease situation, perhaps paying for shoes in the summer, but the time and effort spent on a horse with uncertain soundness and ridability make me want to reconsider.

So, in the meantime, I am still looking. There is always the potential to lease a horse from my instructor, but I have been daydreaming about riding some place a bit closer. Living in Philadelphia limits where I can ride without a substantial commute. Luckily, it puts me close to South Jersey where there are numerous options of places to ride, though only a few of them are worth investigating. Like everything else in the horse industry, word of mouth is one of the best ways to find qualified instructors and/or horses so without completely stepping on my trainer's toes, I have to do some reconnaissance on my own. In Pennsylvania my options are limited, and without trekking out to Bucks County and entering into hunter/jumper vomit-inducing world, places to ride are few and far between. I can also go back to the therapy center to volunteer and exercise ride those horses -- there truly is nothing more fun than galloping a draft horse through the woods, but again, I want one horse to bond with.

I came across a lovely gelding last night and I emailed his owner (I think) about potentially leasing him. It's a reasonable amount (there are plenty of over-priced and very green prospects out there) and better yet, the farm is in Pennsylvania, 12 miles away and just on the outskirts of the city. I could potentially ride my bike there, and/or take public transportation if I needed to. He's currently available 2-3 times a week. The place is a 12 stall boarding facility that has lessons and a full time trainer. They have a lighted outdoor ring with brand new footing and it meets up to 56 miles of horse friendly trails (part of the trail system I used at Pegasus). After May he will be available 4-5 days a week. It sounds like a perfect scenario for me and potentially a great place for me to make new horse friends. I would love nothing more than to find someone to go hack out on a trail with. So, the owner has written me back and she sounds eager for me to meet him. She and I actually have quite a bit in common (we're both photographers)!

He's a 2001, 16.1hh, TB, not sure if he was raced...has done a little bit of everything and is just starting to pick up dressage. He apparently has good manners, knows Parelli tricks (ha) and does best in consistent training with a confident rider. He sounds like he has a terrific personality and I think he's put together pretty well. Hopefully I can go see him soon!

Stay tuned for more adventures in...A Girl Without a Horse!

Initial thoughts

While I wasn't in the best shape physically or mentally yesterday to test ride a new horse, I went anyway feeling quite optimistic about the little red mare.

The farm is about 15 miles closer than the barn I currently ride at, though it takes nearly the same aggravating route to get there (meaning, I am still stuck in traffic on weekdays on Rt. 42 South). Bonus: I am forced to pass a Wawa convenient store on the way. The drive takes me through scenic Mullica Hill which is a nice change from the barren landscape of Salem county.

The farm is really nothing to write home about...in fact, it shares a driveway with a little house (where I initially parked only to discover a grumpy woman emerging from with a Newport hanging out of her mouth telling me to move my car). It was hard to tell how much space they actually have on the property, but I met up with the mare's owner, "A" and we walked back through the turnouts. Basically a maze of paddocks with less than desirable fencing (not barbed wire, but lots of broken panels). She keeps her two ponies in the back right turnout and they both came over eagerly to come in for dinner. Immediately she told me not to be fooled and that Kayla is notoriously difficult to catch -- unless it's feeding time. Ultimately the place was fine, no glaring issues, a heated 20 stall barn which was divided into 10 stalls with the other half being used as a metal shop. The indoor connects to the barn (which is nice) but was a bit of a disaster. Each corner was filled with detritus. One corner had a pile of old hay stacked to the ceiling that was held at bay with few pieces of old metal fencing. Another corner had serious looking machinery and a third had a John Deere tractor. There were a few jumps set up across the diagonals and although the place was probably bigger than a dressage ring, there was no way to really create a 20 meter circle or cross a diagonal, or use much of the space effectively.

The mare was quite lovely to look at and had a pleasant demeanor. Not really marish at all. She tacked up fine and seemed pleased about working (this was also surprising because she had not been fed yet). A hopped on and walked her around for a bit on a loose rein. She was clearly green, but had a lovely, forward walk. She poked around with her head in the air and then A asked for a trot. She stopped. Apparently this is what she does (I have a humbled opinion of Pia's owner after this test ride, it should be noted) to evade working. She asked her to move forward and she kicked out, she finally gave her a little smack on the rump, she bucked a little and trotted on. After about 10 minutes of trotting like a giraffe, she slowly relaxed her back and dropped her head. She did some trotting in both directions, cantered her both ways (with some protest and bucking) and let me get on. It took about 7-8 tries to get her near the mounting area (the mounting block was currently being used to hold something up) and she kept scooting her hind end away when I would get her settled. A commented that it was important to see how I would handle her instead of holding her while I got on (fine, that totally makes sense). Once I got on she was fine...she stood still and let me get settled. We walked around on a loose rein, again, I thought she has a terrific forward walk. I asked for a trot and she stopped, got stuck behind my leg and I asked her to move forward...she let out a little kick but moved into a trot. We trotted around tracking left for a while and I switched direction. She slowed to a walk and then refused to move forward, I urged her on and nothing. So I turned her, I just wanted some movement. Then, to evade working she twisted her body against my right (inside leg). He face and haunches pointed toward the outside and her belly was pressed hard against my right calf. I opened my left rein and held and pulsed my right rein to encourage her to bend properly but she really gave me a fight. I eventually got her straight but could not get her to trot tracking right. I didn't want to pressure her too much, so I concentrated on forward and straight in both directions and trotted some more tracking left. I didn't even try to canter her because we were still figuring each other out. If I let her walk around on the buckle tracking right she was lovely, soft, and swinging but the second I took up ANY contact she bent her body and refused to do anything but be crooked and slow. Ugh. A told me that she resents the use of a crop but she rides with spurs -- I think I could have gotten a lot more out of her with them too. Her hind end seemed quite weak and later A explained some of this to me. Apparently, last year she got really sick, they eventually found an abscess in her abdomen and because of it her hind end, specifically her right hind, has been weakened. She is reluctant to engage that part of her body. Only time with tell if muscling and fitness will improve her willingness to move forward. I probably sat on her for 45 minutes, but I didn't get a really good sense of what she was about. Plus, since I wasn't feeling good, it was not the best test ride ever.

Ultimately, I think it would take another ride for me to know if she is the kind of horse I want to take on right now. I think she could benefit from some lunge work...and I would like to see how she goes without a rider. I think it would help her loosen up a little if she could get forward, long and low with no weight on her so she could find her own balance. Her owner mentioned that she doesn't really have time for that kind of work with her but she'd be happy if I wanted to do stuff like that with her. I am really curious if she is stubborn or just sore in that hind end.

So, we'll see...we're supposed to meet up again to have another ride in about a week, and I guess I'll make a decision then. Or perhaps, the owner didn't really like what she saw of me and that's that.

I do like that the place is a self care facility. It seems really laid back, a few show horses, two of which are the barn owner's. It would be an easy enough place to ride, but I am not sure I want to deal with something super challenging right now either. A mentioned again that even with grain and treats, getting Kayla to come in is nearly impossible...she doesn't trailer well and has to be sedated and twitched to have her mane pulled. Hm...I feel like I can pull nearly any horse's mane with some time and patience. I got the impression that this mare had a rough few years in the hands of a teenager, at least A alluded to that fact.

fighting off the flu

Sadly, I did not get to have my highly anticipated lesson on Sunday -- I didn't plan my transportation well and couldn't make it out there...sigh. Sunday evening I began feeling a little under the weather, and my Monday morning I was in full blown col/flu mode. Achy, fever, stuffy, and one hell of a mucus filled cough. I called out of work and slept, and slept, and slept. I moved to the couch and tried to eat. I watched a marathon of Pitbulls and Parolees. I ordered some Chinese food (including a large container of hot and sour soup -- I swear by it for healing). I knew that taking Tuesday off would be good for me even if I was feeling MUCH better, so here I am on the couch, again. I think my fever broke during the night and I am not even a little bit achy. I took a nice, long hot shower and I feel human again. I slept for 12 hours and I feel considerably better. The cough is still there, and it's pretty brutal, but overall I think I am headed to recovery!

Most importantly, the girl with the Kiki mare lookalike got back to me and I am going to see her this evening. I know that trying to ride with the remnants of a flu is probably not the best idea, but physically I feel much better and she and I have been trying to make this happen for weeks. So...I will head over there around 6 tonight and see what this little chestnut mare is all about. Let's see if I can remember how to ride. I am really looking forward to getting out of pjs and into breeches!

There's a 5lb bag of carrots sitting on my counter to bribe the little mare. Hehehe.