I’m supposed to be showing at my barn’s local IEHJA show this weekend, but after losing the “Will I Lesson?” game too many times… I’ve taken Simon off the list. Truthfully, I’m super bummed. I was really looking forward to getting back in the ring with our new skills, but he got another abscess that sidelined him for a week. Although he’s sound and happy again and I’ve had some great rides, it’s not fair to my horse (or my…
About a year ago, I started riding Simon bridleless. By started, I mean we had gotten far enough in our training that I could canter around the ring without a bridle. I know this isn’t exactly horse voodoo magic, but it’s something I had never accomplished with any other equine partner before. The reason I like riding without a bridle is that it forces me to identify my weaknesses. When I get tired, I like to lean on the reins…
I have a jumper derby horse. Not like the cool kind of jumper derbies where we fly down banks or do anything remotely outrageous… because we all know by now that I’m a chicken shit and won’t be trying anything crazy. No, Simon is a jumper derby horse because we approach hunter derby courses with the gusto and enthusiasm of a jumper. A jumper without changes. I’ve been on the fence about doing the derby this year, because even though…
My horse is the sterotypical sensitive Thoroughbred. He picks up on your moods, and feels every single muscle in your body when riding. These qualities can make him reactive, but because he’s such a good egg and so amateur friendly it’s rarely a problem. Still, I’ve learned over the years that less is more and if I get a little over zealous with my leg on course that he’s going to shoot out from me like a rocket. I’ve learned…
I’ve been fairly mum on Roman for a variety of reasons. When I feel less than stellar mentally, the act of sitting down to write about ponies seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things and I don’t bother. Additionally, even though my trainer doesn’t believe me I’m planning on Roman being a longer term resale project. That doesn’t mean he won’t make blog appearances, but it does mean that I won’t be publishing every single little detail on the…
We’ve been having massive rain in Austin lately, so my lesson on Sunday was my first one since the disappointing horse show. I’d be lying if I said I was super excited to be lessoning again. My brain had already prepared itself for life with a baby hunter, and had lost a lot of my gumption for the 2’6″-2’9″ jumpers with my changeless wonder horse. My trainer had setup a mock hunter derby course to prepare for the horse show…
My name is Lauren and I can’t word today. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either, so let’s look at pictures of Simon. As I may have mentioned, Simon and I will be returning to the hunter ring for (at least) the first show of the year…which is in about three weeks. I doubt this move will shock the equestrian world, since it’s not like we were exactly campaigning for Rio, but right now I am enjoying work on polish and relaxation….
I have a lot of fires going right now, and had several minor panic attacks about them all yesterday. So naturally, the best decision this morning is to sit here at work and write a quick post about lead changes. Because we all know how much I adore lead changes. Now Simon has some physical characteristics that I knew have historically made changes hard for him. We’ve got the bum right hock, wonky stifles and a weak hind end. He’s…