Twofold post!

One we went to a show yesterday and came home with 4 blues and 3 reds!!! He was such a super star, but we need to seriously work on breaks and working long and low. I will upload videos and pictures when I get them.

Two a look at Dutch's muscle tone and conformation in the past 6 months.

This is from March of this year and about 1 month off of work from a pulled muscle
This was August after returning to work for 2 weeks.
This was Feb. in full work.

These are pictures for my family to see what I have been up to!!

Ok, this first pictures I took in Texas with Paul's family for Thanksgiving. It is sunrise and sunset on our last day.

Dutch and his new-ish girl friend. They are separated now because he wants to fight with they boys that get to be on her side on the fence.

These next pictures are all from around X-mas time.
Paul and my kitten who's name is Maserati but that we call 'girl-cat.'
She is hopelessly in love with Paul.D-man.

Dad being weird with the tree lights.

Spring in N.C. Our barn is in the best little community- we can ride anywhere!!



My boys.... actually getting along!!! (OK so Dutch was freaked out at a bunny and Paul was afraid he was going to be stepped on... but still!!)
I love this picture because it looks like a post card!!

The Trip Down to the Beach was one of 10000 bridges... some that you could look down and see the water below. It was the most nerve racking trip I have ever taken!!

Dutch in our little rented trailer, his eyes are so pretty. This was taken at a Truck stop.. he was begging the man next to us for yummy food.
His temp. home in S.C.

The dinner before the wedding was an oyster shuck and shrimp boil.
My dress for the Wedding Reception and Dinner.
BEACH RIDE!!!!!!

All the Streets on the Island Down in S.C. were like fairy tales!!

How much three years can change a horse and a person

Here was Dutch the day we bought him Nov 27th 2007. He had already been under our care for 1.5 months and all I can say is I wish I new then what I know now, and my horse is a saint!

He came to me with no experience, no muscle, no fat and no feet. We are still working on the feet! I just want to take a minute and compare this photo to ones from this winter and spring!

The last two pictures are so Dutch, standing absolutely still despite a very large Rottweiler Barking and charging the fence because my Uncle was on his back. And him and I on a snow day!

This is one of my favorite, he is like Mom, why on a ladder?

Can I just say I love my horse!!

Dutch 6-1-2010

Here are a few photos of Dutch from yesterday. Man! Has he ever gained weight he doesn't even look like the same horse!!! His feet are still awful and I am truly at my limit for shoes, none of them get it right!!

BEACH!!

Dutch

Well on the Horse front, dressage is going well, he is really starting to push from behind and develop a top line. However, he doesn't like to stretch into the bit, I can get stretchy after about 45 mins of work or if I completely throw the reins away.

This shows up in his jumping work as well, he tucks his chin and rushes the last stride no matter what the excersize is... this is just another symptom of how much my first trainer screwed him up. He doesn't trust the bit not to hurt him and he cannot relax when jumping because he feels like if he slows down he is going to get trapped.

Our solution - breast plate/ neck rope and riding on the buckle.

For the next 2 weeks to a month he is doing to go around with the lighted contact on his face as possible- all half halts with be done through the breast plate or voice, which he listens to well. At least 3 times a week we will trot over cross rails and halt in a straight line, if he gets fast we will walk them. We will also do lots of ground poles. No straight lines (on the flat) and no collection until he decompresses.

Will post video and pictures soon... especially a weight and a conformation critique. He has changed dramatically from this winter.

Reflection pt 4

I think it is hard for me to comment on true differentiation, because I do not feel that I saw the teacher using it. He says that since all of his assignments are done in daily journals collected weekly the students that need more time or support are able to find the time to get it before the assignment is due. He says that he also grades on a sliding scale that takes into account each students achievement level. “Seeing all the work together in a journal lets me easily compare to earlier work and make sure that each assignment has adequate effort.” There was no teacher directed grouping, no alternative assignments, no real feeling of planned differentiation. I think that although I really liked sitting in on his classes and it is obvious that his students improve, I could never teach like he does with minimal planning and no lesson plans. I do feel that I can take many of his ideas and activities and apply them to my style. I really liked that he has found a way to allow students more time if needed without drawing attention to the fact that they need help or special needs. I loved that he found so many innovative uses for what could be very boring sources! All in all, I think that while I did not see traditional effective planning and lesson implementation, this experience has given me a lot of confidence to try new things.

Reflection pt 3

The biggest difference I saw in between the regular and AP classes was how much more open and honest the teacher was about their personal short comings. He would willingly say that he was a very traditional writer that like to read traditional essays, and admitted that he had to fight that bias all the time as a teacher. I think that his honesty about his own short comings made the students more open and honest when they shared. I went into this class expecting great scholarship and effort on the side of the students but was surprised by the fact that these were his laziest classes and the least likely to turn in any homework. He said that for most lower level students they know that they need to work to understand and get better while advanced students are often so cocky they think they can fake it. Again the classes were mainly centered around the mechanics of writing. He also used the provided test book again, and modified the activities. My favorite was the group essay, he had all the students build a class essay by writing one sentence at a time and voting on which was the best. It really got all the students involved, and allowed them to play with form and function in a supportive environment. Again the teacher stressed to me the importance of using what you have but making it fun.

Reflection pt 2

The classes that were the most interesting to me were the regular English classes; they followed the same lesson plans and were consecutive throughout the day, but they were so different from each other. The classes I observed mainly focused on preparing for the 10th Grade Writing Test. The teacher said at his school this course has really turned into a prep course for next year. “It's hard because when we get them they are such babies and unless they have to take a literacy course we only have 2 semesters to make them proficient writers. I do not think that is possible without cutting corners.” He is a very traditional teacher in that he thinks in order to improve your reading and writing you have to do a lot of reading and writing. However, despite mainly teaching out the test books provided he let the students make their own meaning in what they read and tried to group texts together into “mini-units.” The classes were so different due to the student involvement: one class had active participation, in the other if 4 people talked in a class it was a major achievement. It was good to see that even in a teaching environment that really enforces route drill and skill there are ways to open it up and really get the kids thinking about what they are doing. The best moment for me came during small group discussion, after writing the required essay. I was sitting in on one group and they had identified the main surface conflict of the text- the effects of war. The story the had read ended abruptly and instead of rehashing the basic essay they had written previously the teacher had them get together and decide what came next. The group I was sitting talked about PTSD and the issues some soldiers might have when they came home; then they hit the big stuff. In the end of the story the protagonist kills his brother, in the group I was sitting in really got into the psychological effects that this would have on the main character and between them created a story that I would have read. The teacher shared after the class that activities like that were very much outside his comfort zone, but that he tried to do as many as possible because he knows how much the students enjoy and learn from them. I think that that was one of my biggest take aways, do be afraid to do things that scare you and not to be afraid of failure. The students appreciate any deviance from the norm and will really support you if you try to meet them half way.

Reflection pt 1

I observed 4 classes taught by the same instructor: 2 regular English I classes and 2 senior AP English classes. I found this teacher frustratingly bipolar in his teaching style, looking at the whole of his teaching he is a very 'one size fits all,' but he also is very aware that many students that have learning disabilities or are on a lower reading level have different goals. He is very protective of his students and pushes them to preform better. I found that many of his insights, both reflective and concrete, to be infinitely helpful to me both in my course work and in my thinking for the future.

Ladies!!

It is officially boobquake day!! I know that I for one will be in support of this - especially since I do not have work today and thus CANNOT BE FIRED!! WOOT!

Linkage

and a comic

gina

out

Ick Day

SO my day started when my mother woke me up at o dark thirty, due to extreme abdominal pain... off to the hospital she went.

I got ready for school and made it in. I had a really mice talk with the sub across the hall about being dual licensed. I looked more at the texts today for the first 2 regular English classes. I don't know if I like them.... they are a Bedford anthology that focuses not just on texts and types of lit. but also on writing process and practice. This made the flow odd and weird - some authors/ texts are stressed and many predominate authors have no representation other than photos and one line quotes. I think that the writing aspects of the book make no sense and are no used or read as supplemental material at all!

If you have to use a text book an anthology is the best way to go - they don't need to be extremely current most of the time which saves money and it allows the teacher to diversify texts easier without requiring an abundance of resources.

Then a boy threw up..... everywhere!

Ick

Ick

Ick

!!!!

I have no summation of this day - my mind is wiped. I have a class to go to and I am very exhausted.

Trying Day

This is a picture I took at my SO's Uncle's ranch in TX, using the macro function on my point and shoot.

I like the play of light and shadows, even in this unaltered version.

So today is a day of opposites.

This morning I am woken up to a call from my farrier, apparently his bank says that my check came back, even though my bank says that the money left several weeks ago. My bank still cannot explain this. - BAD

Then I go for my walk and am able to really run the last 1/4 mile without any knee or back pain what so ever, and I am officially 15 lbs down from when I began exercising a couple of months ago! Plus, due to a new supplement I am pain free without my usual 1600 mg of IBU. - GOOD

I am trying a new thing with Dutch's bit. Andrea at Eventing-a-Go-Go post a couple of weeks ago about how lowering the bit in her horses mouth has made her much happier. So we tried this on Dutch. Much less chopping, but a lot of head swinging and squealing. (I believe this is due to more the wind/ snow combo than anything else) He stretched down into the bit much sooner but was very inconsistent, again I think weather has a lot to due with this. But all in all, I want to try him again like this. I am ready to try anything, he has almost eaten through our current Happy Mouth. I know that as soon I adjusted it in his mouth he stopped chopping and swinging his head. Now we just have to see if this will be a consistent thing. - GOOD

15 minutes into our ride Dutch went head-bobbing, toe dragging lame on his left front. He was completely sound last night... and before it was his right front that was questionable, along with a claim that he was 3 - legged lame on his left hind 2 days ago but when I got out there he was not sore on his hinds at all and it was very questionable as to whether or not there was any lameness there at all. Tonight he was bad though, it showed up on the lunge, in a straight line and turning at the walk (a first)! - BAD

I am praying that this is still an abscess, so I soaked and packed his Left front, he got some STP a lunch of 4 lbs of hot soaked Alph-alpha pellets with his dose of Pertone hidden inside. I think we are approaching another diet change, after some research and advice we will be slowly switching him over to 6 lbs of Pennfield's Grand Prix Granola and 2 lbs of Progressive Nutrition's Envision to keep the fat but limit the sugar, his lunch on working days will be a variable mix of rice bran and alph-alpha pellets as needed for condition, this does not include his supplements. He will also be sporting a fancy new grazing muzzle for part of the day, until the sweet new grass growth has slowed and the sugar levels have stabilized. This will be our first step in hopefully going barefoot by the end of next year.

Then as I am soaking Dutch's feet I hear back from TfA.... I did not get accepted into the program.... - BAD BAD BAD

Despite the almost white out conditions that remind me of where I used to live, and the fact that tomorrow I will be able to play around in the powder with the horses (if Dutch isn't crippled by then - with my current luck who knows) I am having a hard time being optimistic tonight. I will not be able to make it to class tonight - which is unfortunate because tonights class is my favorite this semester and almost always leaves me in an introspective but energized mood. But the flakes coming down are almost unreal in how big and fluffy they are and looking out the window is peaceful... I think I might hike back out to the barn with some coco and try to find my zen place and not worry about how much longer I am going to be able to afford doing this (both school and horses) with my cash inflow in the shape it is. I will bring my coco and my Nook to the barn and Dutch and I will catch up on my mid-term studying - He likes the sounds I make as I try to work through Uncle Remus- and leave worrying about the rest until tomorrow.

Good Wishes PLEASE!!!

Today's picture is from LOL Cats, but it is such a Dutch reaction it is funny. He is very affectionate and loves smaller animals, except when he does and then he wants to flatten them. I appreciated the humor of this today when he tried to pounce on one of the barn cats during his ride. Silly pony, kitties are for petting not pouncing,

Tomorrow I hear back for the first round of interviews for Teach for America. I really want to get into this program, I really like the work and research they are doing and am inspired by the community they build around each teacher.

That said I still am not working a regular job, and my training and riding money is barely covering for the basics. Things really need to change in the job front or it is going to get very uncomfortable for me. Dutch's feed is 80-100 dollars per month and his shoes are 75 dollars per month and those things cannot be skimped on.

In other Dutch news, the mysterious lameness that plagued us this past week appears to be an abscess that blew out near his frog. I think was due to the fact that his shoes seem to be a little too small. I am going to ask my farrier to go back to the large shoes with the squared off toe instead of rounding his foot down to the shoe.

My classes are going well, I am starting to really get into the meat of this semesters work and am excited about my in school work. I will explore this more in a post soon.

For now I am just praying about the TfA job.

ALL ABOUT ME

In one of my teaching classes we have been working on a "Whats your story" assignment. My whats your story included many things about me: my adoption, my struggles in school with various learning disabilities and over medication, significant injures that I have obtained through my life, my "revelation moment," all my grand goals for the future. When distilling this into an image or poster to represent my whole story I found focusing on all of these things chaotic. The real truth of who I am and why I teach would take days and weeks to understand because I don't completely understand it. Instead here is a poster that tells you enough about me to grow on. There rest is transient, always changing. These are stable beliefs or moments that I think tell you important things about who I am.

Since I couldn't add music to my poster I am going to included one of my favorite songs. Its a little older... and VERY funky... so if you choose... enjoy.

Feet Feet Feet Feet

SO here are before and after pics of Dutch's feet when the farrier came out today. I see a lot of the same issues ie. flaring, and long toe in both. Do I try and force him to do a more aggressive trim, or do I trust that he knows what he is doing? This is the best Dutch's feet have looked since I have had him.... This is just going to be about his front feet as his backs have always been pretty good.

I am also Struggling with the decision of taking him barefoot. In my heart I know that this is what I want for my horse, but EVERYONE who has had their hands on him says I am crazy.

The Pictures:

Right Front from after trim and new shoes

Left Front from after trim and new shoes

Right front- new shoes

Right front -New shoes

Left front - new shoes

Left front - new shoes

The next few pictures are from before he was re-shod and he had leather pads on his front feet.

Left

Left

Right

Right

I think that he could have been much more aggressive but was trying to do as little change as possible in light of removing the pads.

Vet visit!!

Our vet came out to the barn today. This visit was scheduled because Dutch was not moving like his usual self. He has had stifle issues in the past and we noticed last week that he just wasn't pushing off of his left hind like he should through turns and when we schooled lateral movement. So out came our GREAT vet! He watched him move and had us put him on the lunge. He concluded same thing we did, both stifles are sore but the left more than the right.

So he doped Dutch up, Sleepy Pony!

He injected both Stifles but uses two injection sites on the left leg, as that one was worse. When he placed the needle he got quite a bit of yellowed fluid from the joints but he said that it had not gotten to the nasty stage yet so we are hoping that this treatment will take him back to his usual 120%.

While he was sedated we decided to go ahead and float his teeth. He didn't have any major hooks or point, but I believe in having a horses teeth looked at min. once a year, ESPECIALLY on a horse like Dutch who is a hard keeper. It just climates a possible stress factor that can lead to weight loss.

This is Dutch with the speculum in his mouth.

The vet gave him the ok to go back to work lightly on Thursday. The next few days due to both the injections and incoming weather he has been proscribed hand walking and stall rest. Its time like this that I envy barns that have treadmills for their horses. Tomorrow the farrier will be out so I will post some before and after photos.

Right now I am waiting to get into a clinical classroom so my next few posts will probably be all about horses. I clipped Dutch today! As you can see above, I still need to go back and finish his legs but I think he looks good! This week the vet and farrier are coming so expect posts about both.

Happy Super Bowel Sunday!!!

Introduction

Well as the first post I should introduce myself and why I am writing.

My name is Gina. I am a grad student at University, trying to finish getting my teaching license. I want to teach English and History.

Outside of the classroom I am a rider! I have been riding since I was 6 years old. I have a thoroughbred cross, named Dutch, that I am training to event. I also focus on Dressage.

This blog will explore my growth as both teacher and student, in the classroom and in the saddle.