Yeah, I got nothing

The new year has started, and with it, busy season.  For a financial reporting guru like myself, that means accounting guidance.  Imagine a legal document filled with number stuff.  Yeah, it's that exciting.  So while I force myself to look up one more ASC (Accounting Standard Codification, if you must know) requirement, I'll just leave you with these. 

Maybe tonight I'll manage to get the camera out to take pictures of something to talk about.

Have a great Tuesday!

Mounting Block Woes

A couple of things to start.  I am not young.  I am short.  I am also...round. 

I had a groom once ask me if I liked riding the little horses, since you know, pony.  My response was I like them like me, short and round.  And maybe a little sassy, but that's besides the point.

The point is, I am long past the days of mounting from the ground.   I am no longer concerned about testing for equitation classes which might involve getting on and off without assistance.  I would not put my poor horse's back through that.  I'm also a bit past asking for a leg up.  That would certainly result in back injuries for the person(s) attempting to hoist me onto said pony.

That leaves mounting blocks.

Funny story.  Before I went back to riding as an adult, a friend rode his horses through the neighborhood to the house and asked if I would like to ride.  Sure!  Um...how do I get on again?  Yes, step-ladder should work!

So I get out the ladder and then for some reason do not remember that, even if I have a ladder, I still have to put my foot in the stirrup to get on.  I swear, the things we forget in 20 years.  I never did get on that day because I could not get myself from the ladder to the horse's back.  In Western tack, mind you.

When traveling, we have to go small.  We have a small step stool that we call the stool of death.  There is no picture that does it justice.  I am grateful I have a fairly patient pony that Marcy has spent a lot of time teaching to stand still when being mounted.  Depending on whose trailer we are in, we also have a small plastic one available at times.  This creates great hilarity and usually requires someone to stand on the off side and hold my stirrup as I clamber up the side of the pony, in hopes that I don't pull the saddle all the way over.  And of course, you could always use an overturned muck bucket.  If you don't cave it in (see roundness referred to above).

When I went back to my childhood trainer, she had the premium mounting block set-up.  It was basically a set of house trailer stairs.  I could get on bareback with no effort, forget the stirrups!  Not only could I get on, but I could get off as well.  Handy when I was riding the 17.2 hand ex-3* horse in my weekly lessons, or when I wanted to go for a bareback ride.

Imagine this without the railing.

I have had some variation of this set-up for half of the barns I've been at.  The last two, not so much. We use the standard two step mounting block.  It is all of 19" tall, which does not offer much for short legs that are not as limber as they used to be.  And yes, I understand I am on the shortest horse.  Doesn't matter, it's still problematic for me.  I have taken to turning it up on end in order to gain an extra 2 inches.  It makes a difference.  It has also landed me underneath my very patient pony when I fell off of it (resulting in much laughter, since there was no injury).  I dream of the day when I have a little extra money to buy the team a three step block.  So much joy would be had.

Standard

In the meantime, does anyone out there have some willing participants to make up a portable mounting block like the one below?

Foot update

Been a while since I've done one of these.

7 weeks post surgery - at least it no longer looks like it's a cadaver foot

The foot is healing.  Slowly.  It feels like I have a bruise on the ball of my foot all the time, and the feeling of socks bunched up under my toes hasn't gone away, but it is healing.  I bought new shoes to wear to work that go up further on my foot.  They aren't sexy, but they are fairly comfortable, although all week, I have had to walk around work with one shoe on and one sock.  I thought about going back to the surgery shoe, but it has a strap that goes right across the incision line.  There is no shoe in the world that does not somehow impact that area.

1 week post surgery

The biggest problem I'm having right now is the incision still hasn't healed.  Any shoes (including my riding boots) hurt.  It gets wet when I'm in the shower, so I end up walking around all evening with no sock on that foot trying to get it to dry out.  I even had to walk around the party barefoot.  When the weather was warmer, this was not as much of an issue, but it's getting colder now, and a good portion of my house is floored in tile.  COLD tile.

Anyway, it is healing.  It's not infected, and my mother (the retired nurse) says it's fine and I'm doing what I should, but damnit, I would really like to have a normal foot again.  And to be able to put on socks without putting on a bandaid first.  And since we're talking about dreams, I would appreciate it if that third toe went back to where it's supposed to be.  And the second toe has turned into a hammer toe, which is problematic.  Sorry to be crass, but this shit is getting old.  I'm over it.  I know I will probably never be able to wear heels again, but good lord, there are cute flats.  I can't wear those either.

The doctor said I would have minimal numbness, but I'm waiting for it to be minimal.  Right now, basically both of those toes are numb.  And that makes for a very strange sensation when walking.  Is this what a horse feels like when it's been nerved?

I know in the scheme of things, I am lucky because, you know, pony, love, house, job, etc., but good god, I am tired of hurting all the time.  Ok, whining over.

New Year barn gathering

Market Street is an anomaly.  Since almost all of the core team lives two hours away from the farm, we end up crashing at Marcy's house.  She and her husband are most gracious in making room for us all.  And providing food.  And beverages.  Lots of beverages.  Everyone brings their dogs, and it's a mini party almost every weekend.  This weekend was a bit of an exception.  There was no mini about it this time.

We had 13 people total, which was the core team of four riders, a few neighbors, and some long time supporters of Marcea that are in for a few months and staying at Rocking Horse.

The horse grouping around the table.

Ginny slaved over the stove all day, making chili, cornbread, and mushroom risotto.  Marcy got it started with apricot, almond brie and various bean dips and chips.  Melissa brought a veggie tray.  The libations were flowing freely.  I helped out in the kitchen and spent a lot of time holding puppies or babies, whichever needed current attention.

At dinner, the group separated, as is usual, into the horse people and the spouses.  The horse people sat chatting, drinking and eating at the dining table.  The spouses ate at the bar and then retired outside to the firepit.

The night ended later than usual.  By the time we were done, there were open-mouthed kisses between babies and dogs, boys were jumping over fire, and puppies were hiding out in their rooms hoping for a little quiet.

Eli soooo tired.

It was, without a doubt, one of the funnest impromptu gatherings I have been to in a long time.  When I woke up at 6 to head back to the barn to feed and decide if we were riding or not, my head let me know why I don't do this often.  Only thing that could have made it better is if I had had warning and had brought the boy.

And due to the rain, there was no riding on Sunday.  Or at least, that's what we told ourselves...

First lesson in 2016

We had our first lesson of the new year on Saturday.  The initial plan was to lesson both Saturday and Sunday, which would usually mean flat on Saturday and jumping on Sunday, but the weather was iffy on Sunday, so we started with jumping.

When I left on Wednesday, I said to the boy that Violet was about to lose her little pony brain a bit.  New Year's would mark the beginning of the rush of riders coming to Rocking Horse for the season.  By the time the season starts, all stalls will be full.  I think that's like 140 stalls or something.  That's a lot of horses.  A lot of commotion.  Our guys have had the property to themselves since the end of last season, so it will be an adjustment.

Violet teases Riley terribly

I got on Violet and we headed out to walk part of the cross country field before our lesson.  She was...scattered.  Looking looking looking.  There may have been a couple of spooks.  Or she may have simply tripped a bit because she was paying attention to everything other than her feet.  It's hard to tell on her sometimes.

Since I didn't know what we were doing lesson wise, I simply started schooling at the walk and a little at the trot between the jump ring and the dressage rings while I waited for Marcy to come back up.  The cows across the street were out, so that was a distraction.  There were unknown horses and riders doing things, so that was a distraction.  She felt a bit like she was going to jump out of her skin.

Marcy showed up and directed us to the jump ring.  We started on one end warming up with some flatwork, continuing with some of the same work we had been doing Wednesday.  Changes of direction and transitions that are random give the pony something to pay attention to other than everyone else.

Then someone came in the ring and asked if they could school over some fences while we were on the end. They were not in our way, so that wasn't an issue.  And amazingly enough, Violet didn't care at all.  By that time, she had put her training hat on and was working quite well.

When it came to the canter, we worked on it a bit differently.  We had done the circles and leg yielding into it in the past.  This time we walked to the fenceline and kind of half passed with Violet's head on the fenceline and haunches in the ring (red), then straightened, went to a light sitting trot (blue).  Once that was established, we cantered on the circle (purple).  Then came back down to the walk, went back to the fenceline and did it the other direction.  You can kind of see what I mean in the fantastic rendering below.

Craptastic drawing.  What?  I'm an accountant...

I had to concentrate on doing this quietly, as Violet always wants to anticipate the movements after we do it the first time.  We did this several times each direction until she was really listening.

After a short walk-break, we started doing our exercise above, but on the canter circle, we cantered over a raised pole.  My primary goal was to get the outside shoulder on the path to the center of the pole.  That way our distance was there.  This was no problem.  We did it both directions, then the pole was raised until it was a small vertical.  From there we circled to a big cross rail.  We did that both directions a few times, then put the two of them together, all working on that shoulder, and remaining quiet, and not bracing. Keeping the lines of communication open.  Violet was great.  At the end, we put together about 6 fences into a little twisty course, all the time working on that outside shoulder.  Violet was a superstar!

At the end of the lesson, Marcy had a big grin.  For the first time ever I made it through an entire jumping lesson without missing a distance on a single fence!  They were not all the same distance, but I was never once left behind, I never had to play catch up, and it was all the result of putting that shoulder where it needed to be.  And I was able to do that because I am finally able to feel what I need to do.  I am very excited to see if I can repeat this in future lessons.

Marcy says this is what I need to be able to replicate in the cross country field.  WHEN I am ready to do that again.  If things keep going the way they are, that isn't all that far away, I don't think.  (I may have put my safety vest in the truck, just in case).  In the meantime, I would LOVE to get to some dressage and jumper shows.  I don't think that is plausible, since I don't have a trailer and no one else has plans to go, but I really would love to see where I stand against other people.

Tired pony asks Marcy if she has apple now?

And then this morning I got a text from Marcy that says "Pony did drop bank into water like a pro this am." I'm thinking the move back to cross country might be coming sooner than I think.

Last lesson in 2015

So last Wednesday I headed down to Rocking Horse to have my last lesson in 2015.  Of course, it would be a flat lesson.  But, as I think I've said before, I like those.  We had so much trouble in the beginning that it is such a treat for me to do flat lessons on her now.  I think this dressage stuff is pretty cool.

The big dressage ring was being drug, and Marcy was afraid they would decide to drag the smaller rings next, so we were going to start off in the grass and then move to the big ring when they got done.  They did not get done, so my whole lesson was in the grass between the rings.  Not a problem, this is where we warm up for the schooling shows anyway, and I have to know how to ride her with or without footing, on uneven turf, with or without a fence.

We started as usual, with lots of transitions in the walk, walk up, collect, halt, all the time moving moving moving the bit.  Not see-sawing, moving.  Or even just thinking about moving.

We changed her bit so she goes in a boucher now.  She seems to react well in it, she still softens into the bit.  I am still able to push her into it, but she doesn't chew through it.  This does not mean that she does not continually grab it, but that is was the moving is for.

I've been working a lot on putting on more leg pressure so I can use more hand pressure.  The more I have to move, the more leg I have to use.  This has been an ongoing issue with me.  Violet for years told me that leg is bad and I actually listened to her.  Instead, the cheeky redhead needs MORE leg than others. Getting that through my head is an ongoing process.

We have bend!  And I need to work on getting shoulders up and back and left hand up.

She responded pretty well.  We got some beautiful walk work, then moved on to trot.  In the trot work, we did a lot of counter bending, especially to the right when tracking left, in order to get the right shoulder under her.  We also worked a lot on getting the back legs to step up under her.  I have been working on this with Marcy for a long time, but I can say that for the first time, I am really beginning to understand the feeling of it. Not only that, I am beginning to recognize when I need to use those skills.  To be a more thinking, independent rider.

Awkward up post shot. 

From that we worked on sitting trot to canter.  I got some really nice canter from her this time.  The right has always been more comfortable for me, but I'm finally getting some from the canter.

Actually getting the back legs under and getting some reach in the front.

I did hear a lot of "separate your core from your arms and legs".  Unfortunately, my core seems to have disappeared over the winter, but I will find it again.

So it was a fantastic lesson.  I really feel like I am continuing to progress as a rider, and we are continuing to progress as a team.  I was worried with her moving so far away and me only getting to ride weekly that my progress would stagnate, but I really don't think it has.  And I'm doubly impressed that I can feel that when I've only ridden twice since the end of October!

And we continue to work on the halt.  

On another note, the boy needs more instruction on taking pictures.  He took 5.  Total.  For my entire hour lesson.  And none of me cantering.  I have no idea what he was doing besides sitting in the golf cart, but he certainly wasn't doing his job.  We did have a discussion about why I want pictures.  Not because I need to look pretty, but because I have no concept of what I look like and would like to see it so I know what I need to work on.  Like, I still need to work on sitting up straight and not dropping my hands, as is obvious from the pictures he did take.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to all!

I had a great New Year's.  I hope you all did as well.

On Wednesday the 30th, I had a lesson.  The boy went with as well, so there is some media, but we will get to that tomorrow.  Let's just leave it with I am very happy with where we appear to be heading right now.

New Year's Eve, we didn't do too much.  We went out fairly early in the day and cleared out the garden in the back yard and planted some lettuce I bought a few days earlier.  On a side note, the Brussels sprouts are doing well, but I don't think the tomato will make it.  Nothing like a little 85 degree weather for new year's.

We ventured out and picked up a small thing of fireworks at one of the fireworks stands.  Nothing major, just a $20 family fun pack.  I convinced the boy to wait until dark to set them off, although it was a struggle, lol.  I sat on the truck bed and took pictures with my phone while he set them off in the driveway.

Roman candle

Sparkly thingy

My phone takes pretty awesome pics, don't you think?

We spent a good portion watching...wait for it...I know it's a surprise...Dexter.  What can I say.  We are getting close to finishing it up and then moving on to the next thing.  Breaking Bad, anyone?

Super sneaky selfie with the boy.  Note the ribbon boxes above his head.  I'll talk about those some day.

On New Year's day, we watched the Rose Bowl parade, and then I started cooking, while we were watching more of our show.  I have never cooked the whole New Year's Good Luck dinner myself before, but I have to say, I kind of impressed myself.  We do the traditional low-country southern-style good luck meal.  So I made traditional southern-style collards (with smoked turkey leg rather than hog whatever for seasoning), Hoppin'-John (black-eyed peas and rice), bone-in pork shoulder roast, and jalapeno corn bread.  I had never made any of it by myself before, but I've helped both my mother and my brother cook it for years.

To-go portions for my brother, who had to work.  We need all the luck we can get.

Everything turned out perfect!  We have an issue in our family with not getting our corn-bread to turn out like anything other than a Frisbee, but mine was great!  It helps that I watched my brother figure it all out last year, I guess.  Anyway, I packed up to-go boxes for my brother and left it in his fridge.  He's a waiter and had to work this year, but I figured we can all use all the luck we can get.  He called that night after work and informed me that I am doing the meal from now on.  He has worked with food since he was 15. This is a HUGE compliment.

Then I finished off the new year break with another lesson and an impromptu barn gathering.  It was a great start to what I hope is a terrific year!

Violet says Happy 2016!