All my worst fears

Last night I had a dream that summed up all my worries for the upcoming NATRC weekend. I have been worrying about what to do with Bailey next weekend. She always comes with me to rides and I don't know if she would be better off with us even if she has to sleep in the truck or crated (we are sleeping indoors) or if I should just go ahead and kennel her at the vets. Then I think about what that will cost and I think how expensive that will be. 

Second I'm nervous about my  first NATRC ride on Fiera. Of course it will be fine. We have don't our homework and she's a great horse but I'm still a little nervous. I don't think it would matter when the ride is the first tone is a little nerve racking. 

So the dream went like this. I was at parrie Haynes Christmas ride and I was riding with Annette and Christa. We had brought Bailey with us and left her back in camp. As we arrived at the first P&R I saw bailey running up the trail to me on the ride. I looked ahead and saw that Peter had driven to the P&R and I asked him to put Bailey in the car since I would get in trouble if she was following me at a ride. Then while doing this at the ride I realized I had to go to the bathroom (the other p in p&r) and while I was off doing that Christa and Annette rode away without me. I guess we finished the ride ok because the next time I saw them we were all at an opera and I ran into them outside and asked them why they left me but they didn't have an answer. Then iniscoveredbinhad Annette's cell phone in my pocket but when I tried to call Christa to tell her she didn't answer. They had left the after ride opera at that point and I woke up. It was really weird. 

I know that my friends won't leave me anymore than I would leave my friends but it was still real and terrifying at the time. 

Dreams are such a strange reflection sometimes. 

Happy Easter

Peter and I went to a joyful Easter service at church. It was great, as our services almost always are. It lasted almost 2 hours though...so a bit long. We had lunch reservations at Olenjack's grille and then Peter took me to see Alice in Wonderland in 3 D. Lunch was really good, but I think I like the buffet brunch at Birra Porreti's better. I liked Alice really well, but peter was a little underwhelmed. Then we came home and we tried to watch Inglorious Bastards, but didn't get far. Now we're watching National Treasure as I have never seen it, and I'm enjoying watching it a lot.

Tomorrow I was supposed to go riding with my friend Teresa, but all day I had the feeling it wasn't going to happen. I was correct as last night her husband was put in the hospital for an infection, so our day is off. It will work out well, as I plan to use the afternoon and evening to finish painting Maggie's room and cleaning it for her so she can have a pleasant homecoming.

This weekend I rode the NATRC ride with Teresa and we had a great time. I was to ride safety, but they didn't need me and Teresa said she'd enjoy it if I rode the B ride with her. So, I entered the one day ride. Liberty got 2nd and I got first. We had a nice, relaxed ride. What was funny was that I thought of it as being a slow ride, and Teresa couldn't see how our ride was slow...I guess it's all in perspective. After riding riding open, it seemed slow, but that didn't make it any less pleasant. My training goals were to work on transitions, opening and closing gates and trotting at tempo. Things really improved as the day went forward, so I was pleased.

Dr. Deb Bennett part 3--shoulder in and canter

On Saturday the morning started out really nice, but then it started raining really hard and we could hardly hear Dr. Deb even with the microphone on. Then the wind started blowing and the horses were sure one particular corner was going to kill them. No one came off, but there were a few close calls. After the storm died down, Dr. Deb went back into the scary corner and we began to work on the shoulder in. Because our leg yielding at gotten so good and easy, it was time for the next step. She had us take the corner and leg yield deep into the corner and then keep our bend through the long side. We were only to take a few steps before going on straight. Liberty took to this very well on his left side, not so well on the right side, but got better all the time. Pretty soon, when we took them out of the bend we would take them across the arena, change the bend and the practice shoulder in on the opposite side. He has always been stiff about switching from his left to his right side, but that got progressively better all weekend. His trot circles also began to slow down and he began to lift his back over the cavelletti instead of just plowing over them.

Sunday morning we worked on cantering. We were given very few instructions, other than just sit on the outside of the horse. I was told not to trot too many times before I set him up to canter b/c he would have trouble containing his excitement and I found that to be true. I circled at a walk in the corner, sat to the outside (weight in my outside butt cheek) and made a canter motion with my body. We usually maintained the canter around the corner of the arena, but most of the horses didn't want to pass their buddies and go back in the corner by themselves. So we gave them a hard time going past the other horses, but as soon as they were past, we backed off, so they learned that the corner was a place of peace and rest. It's the same technique you use on a barn sour horse...let them go back to the barn, but make them work hard once they are there. Take them out to a field somewhere and let them have rest. Liberty cantered well and not too fast. Since we are still getting used to the bit, he is having a bit of trouble regulating his speed. It's all or nothing at the moment, but as he was realizing I wasn't going to grab his mouth or face he learned to be less reactive.

Sunday we also learned how to do a turn on the haunches...something I have never really been able to pull off well. She taught a really simple technique to stop the outside of the horse and move the inside of the horse...easy to do when explained with a horse standing there, but not so easy to write about here. She did warn us not to do more than 1/2 a turn and to use the year to build up to a whole turn since most horses can't do a whole turn easily and they tend to break loose behind when they aren't strong enough thereby setting yourself up for misery when trying to unteach the movement behind later.

We also watched more videos...We watched a great video about training icelandic horses and paso fino horses which showed the continuum of gait from pacey to trotty. The clinic was just wonderful. There were so many chances to hear stories and to listen to her ideas and opinions. Next year, I'm hoping we'll be back in the same place. We have been charged with bringing friends so that we can keep the cost down. We need more auditors and more riders.

Some things to know about Dr. Deb:
1) She is opinionated and believes that her opinion is the correct opinion...do not argue with Dr. Deb.
2) You can be having a perfectly innocent conversation with her or a fellow attendee and find out that she doesn't like something you like. Then she will tell you her opinion about it...This happened to me a couple times (I know that no one can imagine that I would be capable of putting my foot in it lol) I was talking about NATRC and how much I loved the rides. I made that comment that I don't really care that much about placing, I just enjoy the people and the rides and winning or placing is just icing. She said that I was lying to her and to myself (I don't' really think I was, but that's how it went) She said if I didn't really care about winning, I would ride DO so that I was outside the competition. Well, of course, I don't want to do that, so maybe I do care about winning more than I think. What made that conversation worse was what followed. She said that if anyone enters any competition, they need to go perfectly prepared to win or they shouldn't enter the contest. So, I have been cheating my mount a bit through the year, b/c I don't do everything I need to do to be a winner. We still can't open a gate...I just learned turn on the haunch. I'm conditioned and he's ready for that part of the ride, but I haven't put in the time for my obstacles. Another time I was talking about my Equine touch classes I have had and found out that she has had some very negative dealings with the people who originated the technique I have learned. I was told that they are crooks and terrible people and that I should run to the next county. If I want to learn real equine touch, I need to take a class in equinology...which I just might do. I had no idea that my organization was full of thieves and robbers and I would never have opened my mouth if I had known there was anything going on.
3) She does NOT like Pat Parelli...and she has good reason, but 'nuff said there.

Otherwise, being in her presence is like having your brain stretched and it's a ton of fun to be there.

Busy Sewing Sunday

We were up early for church in spite of the time change and are now home after doing chores and having brunch. I have a bunch of embroidery to do for a NATRC riding coming up, so I'm sitting at my computer with the machine next to me so I can stop it if the slightest thing goes wrong. I did about half the shirts on Friday, but today am doing the other half. Liz Scott, the ride Manager, likes to do shirts for her helpers and volunteers. We took her logo for the ride and turned it into a single color silhouette and that's what I'm using for the shirts. I tried to use the actual clipart and turn it into the design, but my software just never made it look right. These are turning out nice and though it's not as colorful as the original, it still conveys as similar logo to the patches she is giving out. After I finish up the shirts I have a sewing project for prizes to start on. I just find that I'm better off doing one task at a time. If I start sewing, then I don't watch my embroidery and then mistakes happen.

Tomorrow starts spring break, which will end up being a little more break-like for Maggie than I had originally intended. Tomorrow I'm going to take her and her horse to Sprite's for riding camp. We're also going to take Joe Bear for the week so that he can get some extra attention from all the little kiddos. If he works out, he may stay through summer, since this time of year is bigger and has more students. It's good for everyone. I'll even kick in food money if I need to so that he has everything he needs. She can keep food in front of him more often than I can and he'll get to be with Deli. Flying G had a tragedy this past week, when an arsonist burned up all their nice round bales. They are still needing some donations, but they did find someone to sell them some hay at cost since they are carrying on a Christian ministry. They are selling t-shirts too, which Maggie and I have purchased to help with the fund raising. Joe will fit right in and he will have constant attention for the next week. He just eats up being messed with and Maggie goes for lessons and we can get him back anytime. I was feeling nostalgic for Deli yesterday and thought about trying to borrow her back, but she's such a good lesson horse, Sprite said no way. Loaning Joe will be good since now I have room to help train a foster horse for a friend.

Peter bought me the Sims 3 stuff pack so I will be installing that shortly and playing with my sims while I watch my machine. Thank you Peter!

I really wanted today to be lazy, but there is just too much to do. Notes to write...Maggie is out mowing the lawn...I want to watch the movie Up in the Air Starring George Clooney later, after the shirts are done. It's too hard to hear the TV while I'm embroidering. And Maggie has some more long division to do so that she can be free to enjoy her riding camp tomorrow.

This week, on Wednesday, Maggie is going to Alexa's to hang out. I'm going to a riding clinic on Thursday through Sunday and Peter is taking Parrish Lay Ministry (PLM) classes starting Saturday at Calvary Lutheran Church. He has been an assistant minister at King Of Glory since last summer and this is the next step in his spiritual journey. My understanding is that the classes are 1 time per month for 3 months in spring and summer and this will go on for 2 years. He is excited to be entering this ministry. Our church, King of Glory, is a wonderful little church that needs to grow. Our pastor is a wonderful lady who always has interesting sermons. We have found it to be a loving church home.

Speaking of King of Glory, I played the piano in church today. I haven't played the piano in public in 15 or 20 years. I used to be a really good pianist, but lack of use has really cut my skills down. I played a piano/organ duet with the organist and it went really well. We played the postlude so that no one would listen too closely. I played For the Beauty of the Earth. On April 25, I'm going to play another one Crown him with Many Crowns...It's harder and it will take me that long to learn it, I fear. I was pleased and surprised that I able to play the song today with only a couple day's practice. I am getting my own key to the church so I can go up there and use the piano any time I want. I only own a keyboard at home now.

Yesterday Maggie and I helped with the LBJ Grasslands clean up project and clipped branches and picked up trash. Dixie proved to be quite good at standing still for clipping and trash pick up. Maggie was able to pick up trash using a long, pointed stick and speaking cans and bottles and putting them in her trash bag. I clipped branches so that anyone trotting around corners wouldn't be hit in the face with branches. There are two rides in The Grasslands in the next month and the trail needed work. We had really poor tools, and got a late start but had fun anyway. We were starving on the way home and ate dinner at a new place called Don Jose's, which I didn't mind, but probably wasn't very good...I was just really hungry.

I rode Liberty in a bit I had borrowed from Betsy and except for a small run on one side of his face, he took to it really well. I also found him able to eat in it and his mouth was softer and foamier than any bit I have used to date. It was a nice ride. Frankie got a nice run too.

Maggie has dachshund fever. She really wants her own puppy and with her dad's help, it's likely to happen...but not too soon. She has to save up her own money to buy/adopt her puppy. To that end, I have a house and yard slave hehehe. She is outside mowing the grass right now. She gets $15/mowing to mow it. If I can her to trim, I'll pay her $20. she's also more set on doing her chores at the moment as well...cleaning her room, doing her laundry, cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash...gotta love a kid who is too young to hold a real job. Maggie's other business venture is going to be her own horse cookies. I told her I'd get her started, but she had to pay me back, just like a "real" business. It's called Sweet Boy and Gorgeous horse cookies. She's going to design her own logo and Liberty and Dixie are the poster children. She will probably branch out into dog cookies too and selling them at NATRC rides.

Scooby guarding the house

Scooby will be home to violate anyone who comes near our house for the next two days. I'm sure he will do a good job. He will be very happy to take out strangers...and he will be happy that Frankie will be camping and out of his hair.

i took Scooby to the vet thinking he might be suffering from an ailment. $150 later, I found out that he's just old and grouchy, which leads me to wonder what the step will be for him. If he continues to growl at Frankie, and fight with him, he may not be long for this world. Added to the aggression he has started marking the house every time we turn our backs, which make him marked for certain death if he keeps it up...either that or keeping him always outside so he can get the bad guys...and the meter reader.

This weekend Maggie and I have our first CTR of 2010...well, I guess technically it's the 2nd, but the first one of 2010 was actually in December of 2009, so it gets a bit confusing. Peter is the photographer for the ride and Maggie and I are competing. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous so it should be a fun weekend for all of us.

Great NATRC regional convention

Maggie and I went to the NATRC regional convention in Oklahoma City, OK. We had a great time and the horses received their awards. I got to sing Karaoke and dance in a smoke free bar, which is always a pleasure. It was such a fun, and relaxing weekend and I got to see my best buddy, Amy Martin, who agreed to be my room mate even though I snore.

Peter is on a business trip this week and it's weird to be here without him. We often do things independently at home, but it's still nicer to have him in the house. Maggie is asleep and I will be going to bed in a few, but decided to watch Friday's ER that I recorded.

This evening Maggie and I watched 3 movies. We watched the Secret Life of Bees, Hotel for Dogs and Dr. Horrible's Sing along Blog. They were all good. Secret Life of Bees was incredible, Hotel for Dogs was sweet and Dr. Horrible was oddly disturbing and funny.

I hope to accomplish some things this week. I plan to clean house from top to bottom, do some sewing, watch all my movies that are not movies that Peter would appreciate, digitize some pictures...anyway...I have a full list. The weather is going to be crap, so I won't be able to ride anyway, I might as well accomplish something else :-)

A Tribute to Liberty

My friend Karen, and breeder of Liberty, my awesome horse wrote the below and I wanted to share it. Without her stallion/mare "accident" he wouldn't exist.

A Tribute to Alice and Liberty

Isn't it interesting how "mistakes" turn out? You see, Liberty is the
product of two breeds that one would logically not think of mixing. The two
breeds are total opposites in their gaits. The Paso Fino is bred to have a
short quick stride and the Arab flows in long, ground covering strides.
However, both breeds are similar in their temperament. They both possess
heart, stamina.and brio. They will go and go for you. They are quick and
intelligent.

Liberty's sire was a beautiful, bold Paso Fino. He had the smoothest gait.
It was so thrilling to ride him and have his luxurious mane, that was at
least a yard long, whip along beside you. He was not afraid of anything on
the trail. Rabbits could jump out or birds could fly up and he would be as
steady as can be.You could take him anywhere and away from other riders. He
was not dependent upon any other horse. He was brave on the trail and
successful in the show ring. He would have been great at distance competition.
Unfortunately, he died as a result of a tragic accident at only 7 years
of age.

Liberty's mother is an elegant, demure, Arabian of Polish lines. She was
used primarily as a brood mare and was not ridden in competition. However,
the Polish horses are known for their athletic abilities and devotion.

Liberty was one of the most beautiful colts I had produced.He was so
balanced and fluid. He was striking in his black and white coloring. Just ask
Alice to see his baby pictures! He inherited boldness, integrity, and
quickness from his sire. From his mother, intelligence and refined beauty.
From both-heart, stamina and great feet. I now think that the two breeds
combined to make a great endurance horse!


Liberty was definitely not a finished horse when Alice bought him. He had
been raised well and taken care of. He understood the saddle and blanket,
tied and loaded well, and understood the longe. However, he had been
mounted only a few times, and had never been off the farm. But, he was mature
and ready to go under serious training.

Alice took this very green horse and worked hard at training him. She
worked through several training issues with courage and tenacity. In addition,
she was not afraid to reach out to the community to ask for advice. It
is no surprise that she has reached this level of success. Now, as Liberty
and Alice embark on their next level, (50 milers) I am sure that we will all
hear about many more accomplishments.

I salute Alice and her award for Liberty as the #1 Half Arab of 2009.

Sincerely,

Karen Haile
Rancho del Rayo

Karen has great horses and she has been reducing her herd some...anyone who reads this...I can probably get you guys in touch with her. She has some beautiful animals.

Photos from the Christmas Ride 2009

I got some great photos of Maggie and me from the Christmas Ride at Parrie Haynes. We had such a great time. The one above was Liberty and me cantering across a big field.
I think Maggie was cold when she hugged Dixie like this, but it's still a really cute photo.

Busy, good day

I had a good Medifast day today after my earlier blog. I ate only what I was supposed to with the exception of sharing some dessert at a local restaurant with Peter tonight. I ate fish with veggies and skipped the mashed potatoes. I weigh 2.5 less pounds than I did this AM, which means that I have a ton of water weight hanging around. I don't weigh in till Thursday this week, so I'm hoping that one more good day will at least leave me even from last week...counter acting the holiday.

I have made my plan about the weekend. I'm going to order up the dinner, and the two lunches, skipping the breakfast for my shakes. I'm going to be hungry when I come in off the trail, so I feel like the soup and salad lunch will be just the ticket. I'm planning to buy a box of the "green" bars this week, which have a few more calories in them and have ready made shakes and easily eaten snacks to take on the trail. Now that I have a plan, it will be much easier to stick with it.

For the potluck, I'm either going to make some apple bread (or Maggie will) and/or sweet potato casserole (b/c I have a ton of sweet potatoes in my cupboard and I'm really not supposed to eat them) but I also think I'll bring a jug of red wine to share with my friends. I might be feeling like bringing two...not sure. I always want a beer when I come off the trail, so I'm going to buy a six pack of beer and take two...one for each day. If I take more, I will just eat them. Of course, Peter did buy me a new bottle of brandy, so Maggie and I could go nuts and make a bread pudding instead of anything I have mentioned...I'm wondering if you can make pumpkin bread pudding, or sweet potato bread pudding...the possibilities are endless.

I still need to pack for the trip the rest of the way. I have been gathering my clothes and packing the various things I will need. Since I have the platform in the back of the suburban now I will have to reinvent how I pack.

I have packed our suitcase

Horsemasters 2009

Maggie and I attended the Horsemasters ride in East TX. It was the last NATRC ride of the season as the Last Chance ride had to be canceled. I have mixed feelings about it being the end of the season b/c I added up points and it looks like I'm tied for 1st in the Novice Heavyweight division. If I had one more ride, I could possible win clear...of course, I might not even actually be tied for first b/c I might have added it up wrong, so I will wait for official word to roll in.

The ride weather was beautiful. Liberty and Dixie had a hard time separating. The trail wrapped back on itself, so about the time we would each settle our horses, they would see each other and go nuts. Liberty was badly behaved at the first P&R because he saw Dixie leaving...somehow, despite his bad behavior, he didn't blow his P&R. Maggie told me that Dixie was upset about being alone as well. She said that she had never been nervous riding Dixie, but this weekend, she was nervous about her behavior. She said they did OK till the end of the ride, when she inadvertently crossed the two mile marker before she intended, in front of the judge, and had to continue on. Her buddy that she had ridden with all day had left her (another difficult horse) and was having similar trouble. Maggie ended up coming in 2 minutes early, which is better than she had expected. She just hated losing the points.

Sunday we decided to ride together, which was mostly OK. Dixie was misbehaving some and at one point, Maggie sent me over the edge b/c I felt like she was being mean to Dixie. Someone else helped me with Maggie, after I had yelled at her (Maggie, not Dixie) and we repositioned some tack and got out of the woods, and got away from the stallion we were riding with. Something helped to fix her attitude because things improved from there. I was so embarrassed yelling at Maggie in public. I hate to punish her in public. It embarrasses me, and her, but it had to be done in this case. The day ended pleasantly and we had fun cantering through some fields just b/c we could.

The obstacles were all things I could do! There was a dismount and remount on the offside, backing through two trees (he backed through them even though he bumped into one of the trees) downhills, uphills, a huge log that we had to jump b/c he just couldn't get over it. In the end, Liberty not only placed first but Sweepstaked again! I was shocked. I had been thinking about how bad he had been fidgeting for the vet and just generally not behaving, but evidently he wasn't as bad as I thought. It's kind of a nice switch from the days when I thought I was really good, but wasn't :-) Now I don't' think we're good and we're OK. He's just such a tremendous horse. I'm so happy and surprised that the year turned out this way. I never would have believed he be this good at this sport. In the beginning I thought he'd be better suited for endurance, but now I think he's suited to do whatever we decide we want to do. I adore this horse. I am so grateful to God for bringing him into my life.

I forgot to post about Medifast last week. I didn't do so hot last week. With my birthday, I ate too much and gained 2 pounds. However, I think I will have lost it plus a couple more when I weigh in this week.

Ride this weekend and making an effort to stay on task

I realized tonight, while I was preparing my salads and chicken for the Region 4 Benefit Ride this weekend, that I can't drink gatorade on my current plan. It has too much sugar and would totally throw off my sugar levels. Oops...glad I thought of it before I cracked open a bottle. I have Dynamite Elixir and that's what I'll use instead, but I'm really happy I thought it out ahead of time. It would be just like me to screw up accidentally, not really planning and sabotage myself.

Tonight Liberty tried to choke on me again. Well, I guess he did more than try. It lasted longer than usual, and I even called the vet b/c he didn't pass it like he usually does. Normally, he'll cough a little and go right back to eating, but not tonight. I used all my Dynamite remedies (relax and release) and that usually does the trick, but tonight I cold water hosed him. IT seemed like he coughed most of the stuff up right away, but he kept having spasms for a good while after. Eventually he started bossing Toots around and I knew he was OK. I left him in the round pen with no food and lots of water tonight. He'll be itching to get out by morning. I can never let him have even one bite of dry food. I hadn't soaked it. Usually I add a little water after I give it to him, but tonight just shows that he can't take even one bite without it being mush.

I cheated on my diet tonight...I'm not normally a stress eater. I didn't eat while I was stressed, but since I have started Medifast I have been eating in a very organized way. I wasn't home and didn't have an extra meal with me. I ate 6 almonds and a handful of "trucker's trash", but I stopped there and didn't keep going. I was just so hungry at the time, but of course, it was probably relief at Liberty being OK too.

I spent part of the evening making my meals for the weekend. I proportioned my chicken and packaged it for the cooler. I packed double so Maggie could have some if she wanted it, plus a little extra if I found I was just too hungry not to eat real food. I'm bringing cans of green beans for my cooked veggie fetish, though I really hope there is something at the potluck I can eat on Saturday night. I have salads packs for both days. I also made salads for Maggie. She isn't so keen on salad, but if it's all there is, she'll eat it. She's lost a couple pounds too, since I started the diet b/c there isn't a lot of junk around. I guess she'll have to finish off the rice krispy treats in the truck :-) Love those things!

Off to bed. I have to get up early so I can go let Liberty out of the round pen tomorrow before work.

Weigh In

My weigh in netted me a total loss of 8 pounds this week, my first week on the plan. I'm not sure it really was a full 8 pounds b/c they weighed me on one scale, and maybe I was wearing heavier clothes? Not really sure. But from now on, I'm going to wear the same clothes each Tuesday till I can't wear them anymore, to get an accurate reading. I'm pretty excited. I'm not in ketosis yet, as a couple of my "cheats" are keeping me out of fat burning, so this week, I will watch my extras a little better. I'm still taking in less than 80 grams of carbs each day, so I suspect my body is just a bit resistant.

I got 7 boxes of food today. I decided to get a box of snacks for the trail and a box of oatmeal for variety. Turns out I can make muffins with the oatmeal, which I will probably do for the ride this weekend b/c that will make an easy breakfast. I also got some crunch bars, which I will save for the weekend. They tell me the cappacino is good, so I'm trying that also. And I got a box of banana pudding. If I don't lose enough weight this week with the higher calorie items (these are 110 vs 90) I will drop back next week and try to have something a little lower, like more shakes.

I asked them what I should do about the weekend since I will be expended so many calories riding. Their answer was not to do it. I told them that wasn't really an option! So, I can have an extra snack, or an extra shake or eat more veggies...but no carbs. sigh...I'm going to be missing bread, but it's ultimately worth it.

I realized I never blogged about Robber's Route. I will try to rectify that later.

Off to get a new tire for my trailer. Fun, fun.

Indian Territory

This weekend is the Indian Territory trail ride. This is one of my most favorite rides in the region since the only time we can ride at John Zink ranch is this time of year, on an organized ride. Maggie has never ridden this ride with me and I'm so happy she'll be with me this year. She's excited because there is a full class of juniors. She is eager to test her skills against some other kids to have some feedback about how well she and Dixie are truly doing. She says she'd rather come in last against the other kids than come in first only because she is the only kid. I don't think she has much to worry about since two weeks ago at Pole Canyon ranch she did so well. Her scores were in the top 2 competitors both days, even though she was the only junior. I would love to do well because IT is the one place I have one twice...once on Deli and once on Freeley. It would be cool to get a trifecta...but I don't expect it. The class has 10 people currently so I will just go and have fun and hope we finish sound.

I still haven't had time to post about Pole Canyon. I think part of my problem is that I had so much fun, it's hard to sit down and write it out. I'll do better at IT...I'll post from the ride on my phone as it happens.

We bought a new tent for the ride. It's a 14x16 cabin tent. I think it's the same size as my living room at home, LOL. I wasn't going to set it up b/c Maggie and I like camping in our truck, but with a 50% chance of rain I think maybe I will set it up to have a dry place to sleep. I can't leave the windows down in the trailer if it's going to rain. I will at least take it with us. We leave tomorrow morning at 5am.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

I had the opportunity to ride the Deep in the Heart of Texas ride at Parrie Haynes Ranch in Killeen, TX this past weekend. I had never taken Liberty to a ride alone, so I was pleasantly surprised how easily he settled into camp. I set up my bed for the night: a bedroll in the back of the surburban (gotta love that ease). Liberty didn't call out to the other horses too much, though he did a little but I was impressed by the fact that he continued to eat and drink normally. He was good at check in though I bobbled the question the horsemanship judge asked me and let Liberty get out too far behind me. I hate it when I lose points over something so silly.

Liberty is a good camper, even on his own, so the night went very quietly. I have been feeding him Triple Crown safe Forage product, which is a chopped, fortified hay product. I made him up a batch of that plus beet pulp for the night, with a little electrolytes thrown in. I also hung him two bags of hay. In the morning, he'd eaten most of the mash, a little of the hay and drunk about half a bucket of water, so I figured he was ready for the day. I was surprised later in the day when he got a 3 for slow gut sounds because he ate constantly, including when we came back to the trailer for a short break between loops. I love the trail that brings us back through camp, lets us take a break and feed the horses and use a real bathroom.

Saturday morning the weather was perfect. It wasn't cold or warm and Liberty walked out of camp behind Betsy's horse, April, very calmly. We weren't in the very back, but toward the back and he seemed happy to keep his pace for several miles, even when other horses began to pass us. We went through an obstacle which was an up and down through some mud and he handled it like a trooper. Sometime after this obstacle though, April's fast walk and alternate trotting started to affect his energy negatively. He began to get very wound up and jiggy and I finally decided to pull over and let him cool off. I found a place with some grass and dismounted so he could find his brain. After letter many riders pass us, I was having trouble getting back on, until Kimberly came along riding her mustang, Peppy. Peppy is young, but mellow and she waited for me to remount and we headed off together. They kept a great pace together for awhile and we went by a creek and up a hill, where I later found out the judge was hiding. After awhile, Liberty relaxed and stretched out and we left Peppy when Kimberly stopped to make a tack adjusment.

Through the day, he got better at riding alone, though he would call to some distant horse every so often. WE had 2 good P&R's and a mount, which he walked off from (darn horse). I made a wrong turn, but was still on the yellow trail, so didn't realize it for a few minutes and had to hustle back and find the trail. His metabolics were a little off for him, but his energy level was really good. Back in camp he checked out with no fill or dimished gut sounds and his back was good. Day one in the books.

Sunday started out warm and humid with a light breeze as the horn went off at 5am. The day was cold, but clear and it was a great ride. WE failed to open and close a gate...but we did it better than we ever have. Liberty was forward and happy to be on the trail. We checked out a little off, but I honestly think he just stepped on the rock wrong as we trotted over the drive between the judges and the trot out area. In any case, he came home and ran around the field and acted like he hadn't even been ridden. IT was amazing that he actually placed 5th. I figured we were out of it completely.

I was so proud that Liberty handled being on his own as well as he did, but I can tell we still need some practice.

Fall CTR schedule

I thought I should post this separate because it's going to be long and horsey related...

Maggie and I competed in 2 NATRC rides this fall. I hadn't planned to do any since we hadn't really competed much this year, but I found out that if the horse was in three rides and the rider was in three rides that they would have points that added up for them even though they only did 2 rides together and weren't eligible for a team score. I had previously thought they had to have three rides together to qualify for any awards at all.

Maggie and I completed the Benefit ride the beginning of October. We had a great time and Maggie received a 2nd in Horse and 3rd in Horsemanship and Liberty and I both got fourth. He did really well and only lost 4 points...mostly due to me changing bits and making him uncomfortable.

Two weeks later (last weekend) we went to Horsemasters where Dixie won in Horse and Maggie got second in Horsemanship. Liberty and I did not place, but we had good scores and I was mostly pleased...considering he tossed my butt before we timed out and almost lost me again later. The weather was perfect and Peter took lots of great photos. , which he is still going through. One of Liberty and me is below.

Off to the ride

Today will be a busy day. It's 8am and my truck is packed (reminds me of a song...all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go) Maggie is still sleeping, as is Peter (he has been sick) and I'm sitting here drinking coffee and thinking about cooking breakfast. I have a job interview down the street at 9:30 and I have to see Dr. Flint at 11. I also am seeing Jackie to pick up her Orthoflex Saddle. She is selling it for a great price and Maggie loves this saddle...so I'm going to give it to her. Ok, well, I love it too and I can probably ride in it occasionally also. I wish I could buy her daughter's instead as it has a 16 inch seat, but that one is locked inside Natalie's trailer, so the 15 will have to do.

I stand corrected...Peter is not asleep. He is up and dressed for the day.

Then we will leave for the CTR at the grasslands. I wasn't going to go. I resisted going all week. Not even so much for money reasons as just that we have been so busy, it really sounded like a great weekend to be home. The lure of nice weather talked me into going (unfortunately, they now say it's going to be in the 90's for the weekend, GRRR) and we signed up. I also found out that Maggie's points from her other two rides place her in 5th in the novice jr. division and Dixie's one ride for 1st place with Jena garnished her another 16 points, so if Maggie does 2 rides on Dixie she could place for horse and if she does 1 more ride minimum for herself she might place in horsemanship. So, I figured, what the heck.

For myself, there are so many people in my division, I'm just along for the joy ride. I Hope not to get pulled or held and beyond that I will just have a good time!

I have no idea

I'm sitting here realizing it's been about 10 days since I posted anything and I don't really have a theme for today's post. Maggie is sick today and we've been home today having a lazy day. She didn't have school anyway b/c it's Martin Luther King's Birthday, so the sitting around is appealing to me. I'm not sick, but I really am very tired, though i don't find it easy to nap during the day anymore. I'm sure I'm just tired from the travel, but I know I'm also tired b/c it's winter and I get this way. I don't know if I'm really, truly depressed or just kind of blah. Lack of exercise will do it, and not getting enough sunlight. I just feel cranky and tired. I really like working, yet I start every day and end every day tired. I feel like my fun factor has really dropped and I don't honestly know how to get it back. Being between tears and anger all the time isn't fun. I just want to feel like me again.

Maggie and I went to the region 4 NATRC convention this past weekend. We took 3 horses with us. I got to ride both Liberty and Freeley. Liberty did great, but it showed me where we still need work. He's still not completely stopping when I want, but the head shaking has gotten much better. I realized that he's doing everything I taught him, but I need to turn down the volume to get a more mellow reaction. He's almost trying too hard. Once I get a better whoa out of him, I can start riding him out more. He's still rushing the hills, but I almost think I'm going to just have to hang on and let him figure those out on his own. He goes down fine ponied so it doesn't seem to be a matter of not being able to. I think we both get nervous and then I clamp down on him and he speeds up so we are feeding each other. everyone told me how cute he was, which of course, I really liked! Maggie rode Freeley in the obstacle class and they had a pretty good run.

Maggie got an award for 6th place horse with Brody and they got the team combo award for the year. It was pretty cool to have her get that and I was really grateful to Jackie for letting Maggie ride him. She really misses him and I wish she'd let them ride again, but she has decided to use him for more cutting type work and doesn't want the kids to mess him up.

I can't decide what I want to do for NATRC or AERC this year. I got to thinking that going to an endurance ride would be fun, but I know Liberty isn't ready yet. Maggie was going to ride Joe Bear, but after this weekend she isn't sure she wants to. He kept yanking on her. Of course, if we're going to do an endurance ride we can theoretically go as fast as we like, so I keep going back and forth. I don't know that I want to drive to Houston and do the ride and then drive home alone...I just feel so tired of the driving and I want to pay off bills so we can get out of debt, which means not driving so far to rides. My original plan was to do the AERC ride in February and then a trail challenge, which I hoped would be Liberty's first ride...just a lot to think about. The NATRC folks really acted like they'd like us to come to their ride. I'm going to have to wait I guess. The good news is that if we go to the ride in Houston we can stay over till Monday and then come back, but then Maggie will have to turn around and leave 2 days later for her vacation with her dad and I don't think she wants to do that either.

I almost wonder if we should hang up competing and just ride for fun this year, at least till Deli's foal comes. I'm thinking about what will happen with the money for Deli's foaling if anything goes wrong and I feel like I should build up a pile of cash and lay low.

Well,I do feel better after writing in here. Not sure why, but my dread for the day has lessened. I'm just tired and I'm always tired after traveling. I just want to be happy again and I want to understand why I am not happy.

I'm sick

I have that cold I've been avoiding. I have really been lucky and stayed healthy, but now I'm sick. I started getting sick on Thursday last week, but I didn't start to feel really bad until I was on my way home last night from the CTR. I canceled all my activities for today and for tomorrow. I'm going to stay in and just try to feel better. I even was lucky enough to have someone bring Maggie home and they are picking her up before school tomorrow. Tuesday will be a similar day and I hope to sleep and watch TV for most of it.

Maggie did great at the CTR. She came in 5th again (well I guess that's really last, but she doesn't care) She and Brody had a great time. She's going to ride him again in two weeks at the next CTR. She and Jena had so much fun riding, swimming and just playing with the other kids. It was a good w/e, even though I was sick.

I discovered that Freeley is really not suited to riding safety. It made him nuts to have follow and never catch the last rider in line. He wanted to catch up and while he was never uncontrollable, he wasn't really good either. He kept trying to get up the next riders hindend and was only happy once they were truly gone for good. On the other hand, I rode him alone for one of the first times ever and he was fantastic. It was so nice to have my buddy out there on the trail. I found that I enjoyed not talking, just riding and enjoying the day.

We brought home a little puppy for the day for my friend Karen. Her son picked her up this evening and Maggie is still missing her. She was cute, a little miniature pincher. She will be for my friend's son 's birthday. She was a lot of fun and my big guys were actually quite nice to her. I was very surprised they were so good. Frankie wanted to play, but I kept a close eye on him.

Hopefully I'll get to feeling better and be back to riding by Wednesday. I need to play with Liberty some more.

Nicole said she had Deli out today and that she looked lame and wouldn't track to the left in the round pen. I wasn't there, so I don't know what was going on, but sometimes she's just ornery that way, so it's hard for me to know. I'll hopefully get her out on Wednesday and see what she's doing and if there is really a problem or not. I don't know what I'm going to do with Maggie's broken heart if that mare doesn't get sound eventually. I can already see myself pulling away from her in preparation for the tragic reality. It's not fair to Deli b/c she might be OK eventually, but it breaks my heart so much to see my animals in pain I suspect I do it to save myself hurting when they have to leave me.

Well, off to bed with me. I'm pooped and still coughing.

Annoyed with myself

I am home sick today. I was supposed to see music therapy clients and instead I have been visiting the porcelain God on a regular basis. I think maybe I'm done, but I feel weak and tired. I do NOT want to go out of town, and I'm really happy that I"m only going as far as Cat's friend, Susan's tonight. She will be here in a bit and we're going to load her truck and then go pick up my horses...well, Jackie's horses, for the Bigfoot Boogie. It will be Jena's and Maggie's first ride. They are very excited. I'm going to ride Skipper, Jackie's foxtrotter. Maggie is going to ride Brody, one of her Quarter Horses. I had toyed with taking Freeley, but he's still on antibiotic and therefore not legal to compete...besides, he still has the cut on his leg.

I'm really angry with myself today. I got talked into shoeing Freeley's front feet. He has some rotation and per the vet, he recommended shoeing him to get it healed. HE thinks it won't be long term, but that I should give it a chance to get better. I wasn't going to shoe b/c I don't like shoes. Today the farrier came and I guess he and Jackie got to talking and they called me and said they thought he needed shoes. Here I am home sick and I just didn't have the energy to argue. I let them shoe him. Now I'm just sick that I let them talk me into doing something I don't really agree with. But it's done. I'll see if he's anymore comfortable this way, but I just can't see that I've made the right choice and I'm irritated with myself.

I get tripped up b/c I know people who shoe and don't shoe and they all have valid points. I think that it might help him to wear shoes, but I don't want to be thought of us unenlightened. I get that shoeing long term is bad for the horses. I get that barefoot is best. But sometimes I'm not sure that barefoot is best. But I can't KNOW for sure. I only have the vet telling me what to do on one end and the barefoot advocates telling me what to do on the other end. I end up confused and stressed out in the middle.

To Shoe or Not to Shoe

I got bad news from the vet today. Deli is having a recurrence of EPM. WE can treat her with medicine that won't hurt her foal, but she's likely to never be a good riding horse for what we want to do again. I'm hoping to send her to my friend Eric's in MO to be a broodmare, get light "company" riding and live the life of leisure. Of course, these are my plans, neither endorsed nor declined at this time by my friend Eric. I have my fingers crossed that he'll take her.

I have to find my kid a horse she can ride. I can't bear for her to finally be 10 years old and not be able to compete. We have waited for this so long. I have a lead on another horse...just have to wait and see how this whole thing pans out. ON one hand I feel like a major heel plotting out my next horse, but OTOH, I know that I can't board a horse forever that can't be ridden...or can't ever be ridden in my sport. I knew that some day I would have to face this, but I didn't expect it to be now, and I didn't expect it to be Deli.

Which brings me to Freeley...I showed him to the vet too. He's lame b/c of his gash and it's infected despite my best attempts to keep it clean. This vet said no wrapping, so I unwrapped it. He watched Freeley move and I figured we'd do some chiropractic work on him. WRONG! He's lame in both of his front feet...which is why he looks reasonably sound most of the time and why speeding him up actually fixes him temporarily. They xrayed his feet and he has rotation from a past founder in his front. It's very slight, only 2 degrees, so he thinks that he's fixable. However, he wants me to shoe the horse with corrective shoes to fix it. All my barefooting instincts tell me this is the wrong answer. I don't know what the right answer is, but I'm not convinced that shoes is the right answer. OTOH, I know the vet says it's a good idea. I know that no one will agree on this...both sides will say they are right and as a consumer, I honestly don't know what the right answer is.