End of June... Holy Crap!

 

I feel like these words are really something to live by. You can't forget the past but you can learn from it. So that's what we're doing. We're trying something completely different with B and I'm trying to finally live life for myself for once. To end the month of June I went to Fenway Park for the first time to see Zac Brown Band with my friend Jon and a couple of his friends. It was amazing and so nice to not have to worry about anything!

Imitating the "selfies" being taken in front of us.

First time at Fenway!

Pre-gaming with some Fireball!

Brantley and I have been riding non-stop. We have yet to venture out onto the trails again but I'm so ready for it. I know how much with both miss it. Taking full advantage of my paid off saddle. A big thing I've noticed lately is how confident and motivated he is on the ground. The problem is under saddle (which isn't new) he is the complete opposite. He's in robot lazy quarter horse mode which some people think is nice... Until he pulls his "atomic bomb" moves which gives him his unpredictable personality. So... Let's get this pony motivated! A little more contact and more of a hand to hold. I'll post some videos (finally got a camera for myself) and pictures tonight! Lesson on Tuesday with E, very excited! We're really loving this "new" place. I feel comfortable, at home, and confident in my groundwork, but like B, I have a lot of riding skills I need to work on.

Ciara and B

The boy also had his first body massage this morning and it went amazing. Ciara works with me at the Animal Hospital and recently got her Equine Massage Therapist Certification. I can't even tell you how amazing it was for her to evaluate B in 10 minutes and know exactly where it was he needed work. She's never met him or seen him go. He took to her as soon as she started to work on him. He spent the next hour with his head down, ears floppy, lip loose, and after 20 minutes he started grooming her. I was so happy with how she handled him and how professional and relaxed she was even if he started to get fidgety or try to walk around when she found a tight spot. One thing she picked up on was how he was really tense on his right side which I noticed since flexing to his left is not a strong point. Hopefully loosening up those muscles and getting the blood to flow better will help. She was very impressed with him and how affectionate he was once he got comfortable with her even though he was very good at internalizing his comfort level. I can't wait to have her out again!

Pony Plans

That my schedule has gone back to normal after my couple weekends traveling the "world", I'll finally get to be able to play with my pony tonight. When I saw him Monday morning he nickered and jogged over to me. This was probably because it was feeding time and Kim had just pulled in but I'll take it! He let me rub him all over and dropped his head even though it had been at least 4 days since someone had touched him (other than him getting turned out). I'm really excited to start from square one with the Method but that doesn't mean I won't get on and ride him. I think I can mix it up and he can handle it :) We'll breeze through the Fundamentals I just know it.

Good Move

The move from Cherry Croft to Tavern went smoothly. I was very impressed how easy it was to get B on the trailer... but then again we've never really had a huge issue as long as he fits in it. Arab trailer? NEVER AGAIN! CB really wanted to keep him another week but I still owed him money from the last two weeks so it wasn't going to happen. I was barely there for any of his training anyway but now at this new place, I really think I'm capable of getting our sh*t together. We're already making progress. I haven't hopped on him yet because I really want JR to come out and do his feet now that his shoulder is almost back to 100%. I think that's one of the reason why B was so uncomfortable and scooting while at CC... We shall see!

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So this post was from... well, a long time ago. I have been putting off blogging and honestly I can't even tell you why. Guess it's just been laziness, I've left my laptop in my Jeep for about a month. I just pulled it out last night, turned on my computer, and then shut it deciding sleeping was a better thing to do.

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I was interrupted from the beginning of the second time I tried to post and I thought I'd just leave it there than start all over. It's almost been a month now since my last post and I've done a lot of things and have been living up to my "It's time for me to live a little" state of mind.

First off, last weekend I spent in Pennsylvania with Lauren from My Life with Charlie. Check out her blog for pictures of our amazing weekend! I hopped a train at 1045pm and arrived in Philly at 430am... And then I sat and waited. I got on another train around 730am and made my way to Lancaster. I won't bore you with my exciting train ride but half way through I stopped reading, looked out the window and said, "F*#$, I can't believe I'm actually doing this." It was so nice not to have to worry about well... Anything. I knew my pony was in good hands and A would be stopping in to check on him and my friend Morgan took Chevy for the weekend because Dad's been away.

Lauren picked me up and we went to "breakfast" with her grandmother who is probably one of the nicest ladies I have EVER met. We didn't waste any time and we headed to the barn. Trail ride? Is that even a question? I got to hop on this little Chincoteague pony that they had started a while ago. It was strange to be so close to the ground and have nothing in front of me. Talk about a short neck! But he was so much fun and such an easy ride. We followed Charlie and Lauren down the trail and explored a new path she had never been down. We had to lope to follow them at the trot, even hopped over a log or two. After getting back to the barn I tried out Charlie for the first time... Dreamy? OF COURSE! I was so impressed with how quiet and easy he was to ride. L has worked so hard with him and I can't even tell you how much it's paid off. You'll just have to read about it.

After the ride she took for amazing ice cream and I got a good pic of a cow sticking its tongue up her nose... For real. We made it home in time to sit and watch "Wild Horse, Wild Ride" and have a few beers and then caught the race... You know... THE race. That I will just leave at that because we all know the ending. After the race we both realized how exhausted we were and went right to bed, excited for the day ahead.

The next day we were up early and off to my first hunter pace. A friend of L's not only let me borrow her amazing percheron/thoroughbred cross for the day, but a saddle, a bridle, a helmet, and some fancy Ariat halfchaps... The girl was a dream to ride. DREEEEAAAAMMMM! At first I was nervous because it had been a long time since I just got on a horse I'd never met but as we went my confidence level went up. It helped that this horse took 110% care of me. Couldn't have asked for a better horse. The more comfortable I got, the more willing I was to let her go and next thing I know we're hauling a$$ with Charlie down the road. So much fun! On Monday I helped unload hay and clean stalls, then I got to hop on a couple of the training horses which was an experience I miss. We had a quick photoshoot of L and Charlie over some jumps before she dropped me off at the train station. They look amazing.

Clinton Anderson this past weekend. Went down with Deb and Greg to Albany, NY. Met some interesting people and learned a lot. Ended up joining the No Worries Club and winning the Advanced Horsemanship DVD set. Can't wait to start, if only I wasn't working 12-hours the next 3 days. 

WOOHOO!

SORRY FOR NO PICTURES!