"You are a great champion. When you ran, the ground shook; the sky opened and mere mortals parted the way to victory, where I met you in the winners circle and laid a blanket of flowers upon your neck."
I miss you Basse. Today I would have owned you for a year. You will always be the champion of my heart!! I cry for you.
Wednesday 25 February 2009
Tuesday 24 February 2009
I am a doofus.
Yes, that is just what I am. A complete and utter doofus.
See, I have this gorgeous horse, and most of what I do is NOT RIDING HIM. Argh! I worry sooo much, and do all kinds of strange stuff. Just look at this, I bought him a halter in the colours of his breed association. As if he gives a flying fuck?
Posing at a lake. I should have ridden him there - pah. The photographer, who owned a horse herself when she was younger (14.3 hh I think) asked me if I would jump up on him for the photoshooting. Aaaaah.. No, I dont think so.
But hey, at least.. I can show him off.
(Yes, I did ride him today again, and yes, it was horrible and I rode like a sack of shit, and no, I did not canter, even though I want to like nobodys business!)
With a bit of luck I will start out with lessons with two other persons in March, they are OK, the woman more so than the man, and I am hoping they can teach me the basics that I so desperately need - and want! The other trainer did not pay enough attention to the basics, IMO.
See, I have this gorgeous horse, and most of what I do is NOT RIDING HIM. Argh! I worry sooo much, and do all kinds of strange stuff. Just look at this, I bought him a halter in the colours of his breed association. As if he gives a flying fuck?
Posing at a lake. I should have ridden him there - pah. The photographer, who owned a horse herself when she was younger (14.3 hh I think) asked me if I would jump up on him for the photoshooting. Aaaaah.. No, I dont think so.
But hey, at least.. I can show him off.
(Yes, I did ride him today again, and yes, it was horrible and I rode like a sack of shit, and no, I did not canter, even though I want to like nobodys business!)
With a bit of luck I will start out with lessons with two other persons in March, they are OK, the woman more so than the man, and I am hoping they can teach me the basics that I so desperately need - and want! The other trainer did not pay enough attention to the basics, IMO.
Monday 16 February 2009
I remember
I remember then chickens! The birds in the cage! The nice little room where I slept! The plastic flowers! The outhouse! The little toilet by the barn that was still in use - with the tub you'd pee in.. I remember the little boat with water and flowers in it! The rabbits! The green yard with little trees, and the pear tree! The old kitchen with handmade counters! The giant bed in the master bedroom! The 50 year old Telephone! I remember the goat! The car without seatbelts! The neighbours horse! Vividly remembering the television, the mucky smelling carpet, the little dogs that bit, the little house on the lawn where I learned to play poker, the stoneset hedge in front of the house, the warm embraces when I came, the little rake and shovel to use with the flowers on the windowpane in the "Nice Living Room", the age-old "His Masters Voice"...
When I was 5, coming on 6, my mother had a big operation 800 km away from where we lived, staying there for two months and immediately after going away for 6 weeks for recreation. Meanwhile my father was almost always down there with her, my mothers parents were down there the whole time, and my 3 yo brother was either with them or my fathers parents the whole time. My older brother (7) and I were at school, 1st and 2nd grade respectively, and were either tended to by my father or this woman, Anita. Warm, motherly and becoming. She was supposed to stay at our house, but often "happened" to take us home with her. I loved it there. She was most always alone, all kids grown up, husband working as a trucker. When my mother was home again I would often visit Anita, and until I was 12 I felt as if her home was my second home. Then I kinda grew up, and it was not as inviting there anymore. I guess I got too old to be cute, or something. Today I got a call that the husband has died, and Anita is moving out. The place is by far not the same anymore, I have not been there for years. Some of the things, like the goat, have been gone for nearly 20 years. But I still remember..
Sigh..
Sorry for the OT.
On Topic: I had a girl sit on Cargo today without saddle, while teaching him to stand by the mounting block. Hes good, but still wont stand still when I place him beside the block in the corner. I may have to figure something different out.
When I was 5, coming on 6, my mother had a big operation 800 km away from where we lived, staying there for two months and immediately after going away for 6 weeks for recreation. Meanwhile my father was almost always down there with her, my mothers parents were down there the whole time, and my 3 yo brother was either with them or my fathers parents the whole time. My older brother (7) and I were at school, 1st and 2nd grade respectively, and were either tended to by my father or this woman, Anita. Warm, motherly and becoming. She was supposed to stay at our house, but often "happened" to take us home with her. I loved it there. She was most always alone, all kids grown up, husband working as a trucker. When my mother was home again I would often visit Anita, and until I was 12 I felt as if her home was my second home. Then I kinda grew up, and it was not as inviting there anymore. I guess I got too old to be cute, or something. Today I got a call that the husband has died, and Anita is moving out. The place is by far not the same anymore, I have not been there for years. Some of the things, like the goat, have been gone for nearly 20 years. But I still remember..
Sigh..
Sorry for the OT.
On Topic: I had a girl sit on Cargo today without saddle, while teaching him to stand by the mounting block. Hes good, but still wont stand still when I place him beside the block in the corner. I may have to figure something different out.
Thursday 12 February 2009
How easy is it to make me happy?
Very easy, apparently.
Just look at my pretty boy. So relaxed, so calm and at ease. It has come recently, with ground work and a lot of carrots. I had the hardest time to get him to go away from me :) This is a really good picture IMO, the sky is so incredibly blue and clear and the stomach feeling I get from looking at it makes me all fuzzy.
I also got this shot. A quiet, contemplating horse. Interested in what I am doing, alert, but still resting.
Today I borrowed a saddle because I need a new one. It was very interesting how I rode much better in it. I concentrated much better, and when trotting I could post much better, and sitting was much easier. I did not once encounter the "Foot through stirrup" problem once, which has been my constant enemy for a long time. No bracing against the cantle. I sat the trot, relaxed, draping my leg. It was amazing. I got approving looks, which made me incredibly happy. Kimber rode Cargo at the canter, and he looked so very very good. She did a really good job at it. I wanted to do it myself, but we were 6 people in the arena, two of them newbies, three of them doing dressage work, and I just could not see myself trying to navigate my "little" boy around all of them. It was hard enough at the trot. When he was finished he was quite tired, so he got a little sun while drying off, and a warm blanket while I ate cake *yumm*. After one hour he was already dry again, munching his hay. Umpf, the BO wants to limit how much I give him because he is very much afraid of colics. I am, too. An empty stomach that produces gallons of acid while the horse has nothing to munch on except for straw that can block his intestines.. Not my horse. I know plenty of people who give this type of hay ad libitum, or 30-40 pounds a day. Cargo "only" gets 20 pounds, thereabout, and he is a big horse after all. The BO hands out 2-4 pounds, he told me himself. I dont like that. All my googling and asking knowledgeable people has shown that I am not doing anything wrong. Sure, if it is very wet I will not give him as much, but right now it is nice and he can get as much as he wants.
Just look at my pretty boy. So relaxed, so calm and at ease. It has come recently, with ground work and a lot of carrots. I had the hardest time to get him to go away from me :) This is a really good picture IMO, the sky is so incredibly blue and clear and the stomach feeling I get from looking at it makes me all fuzzy.
I also got this shot. A quiet, contemplating horse. Interested in what I am doing, alert, but still resting.
Today I borrowed a saddle because I need a new one. It was very interesting how I rode much better in it. I concentrated much better, and when trotting I could post much better, and sitting was much easier. I did not once encounter the "Foot through stirrup" problem once, which has been my constant enemy for a long time. No bracing against the cantle. I sat the trot, relaxed, draping my leg. It was amazing. I got approving looks, which made me incredibly happy. Kimber rode Cargo at the canter, and he looked so very very good. She did a really good job at it. I wanted to do it myself, but we were 6 people in the arena, two of them newbies, three of them doing dressage work, and I just could not see myself trying to navigate my "little" boy around all of them. It was hard enough at the trot. When he was finished he was quite tired, so he got a little sun while drying off, and a warm blanket while I ate cake *yumm*. After one hour he was already dry again, munching his hay. Umpf, the BO wants to limit how much I give him because he is very much afraid of colics. I am, too. An empty stomach that produces gallons of acid while the horse has nothing to munch on except for straw that can block his intestines.. Not my horse. I know plenty of people who give this type of hay ad libitum, or 30-40 pounds a day. Cargo "only" gets 20 pounds, thereabout, and he is a big horse after all. The BO hands out 2-4 pounds, he told me himself. I dont like that. All my googling and asking knowledgeable people has shown that I am not doing anything wrong. Sure, if it is very wet I will not give him as much, but right now it is nice and he can get as much as he wants.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Another adventure
We are embarking upon the adventure called "Custom Saddle" and "Riding without saddle for months until it arrives". I look forward to it. It was only possible because I killed my savings book that I have been putting money into since I was not yet born.. lol. I am very happy.
I tried to get up on him without a saddle, but I have decided to buy/try a Sheepskin Saddle/Pad. It has a cantle, room for the withers, kneep rolls and everything. But it does not have a tree. Secretly hoping I can buy one used, if it works out what I have in mind, I might have it by the weekend!
I tried to get up on him without a saddle, but I have decided to buy/try a Sheepskin Saddle/Pad. It has a cantle, room for the withers, kneep rolls and everything. But it does not have a tree. Secretly hoping I can buy one used, if it works out what I have in mind, I might have it by the weekend!
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