We are still alive!

The first week of school is kicking my butt.  I haven't ridden since Sunday, however, tomorrow is the day. So look for an update then.

I have had 3 GREAT rides this week, but I feel like I am cheating a little.  I have been riding in his hackamore.  I always call it easy mode when we don't have a bit in his mouth.

Even with no weight on the reins he fusses.

Our first ride was in the grass dressage arena.  It tends to be the softest on his feet.  I started by just walking and trotting a few laps in both directions to check soundness.  After we got all our coughs out and he proved to be sound we went to work at a walk.  I insisted that we move forward with purpose.  WITHOUT jigging or curling up.  I wanted him to reach forward.  After about 10 minutes we had a beautiful adjustable swinging walk no matter what I asked: shoulder-in, check; Leg-yielding, check; turn-on-the-hind, check.  Our work went forward from there - his trot was supply and easy to sit.  He bent himself around my leg and was really 'stretchy.'  We even did shallow counter canter loops.  PERFECT.

Our next rides were much the same.  It seems that waiting until we have the perfect walk is the key to relaxation.  Even today when the canter work made him spazz out and get tense; going back to calm lateral movements at the walk made him settle.

We are bringing this sexy walk back!!  I know you are jealous!

The only bummer - I tried to jump.  Pony was awesome: my knee was awful.

All that aside, I cannot think of a better note to leave town on.
That's right Chicago here I come!

Trailer Repair

Although a new truck and trailer would be the stuff of dreams, I believe I am stuck with what I have for at least the next two years.  This being so I am going to start working on repairing the buts and pieces of my trailer my self.

This is going to be a complete and on going list of the repairs and upgrades that are needed as they happen in real time.  If anyone out there is reading this I would LOVE any advice, tips, or improvement ideas.  I have created two lists describing the necessity of each thing and rough time line where jobs are put into phases.  My goal is to do a phase per month and have the whole thing done before November when time and weather will make it harder to complete.

Need:

- New tires

- Repair damaged fiberglass

- Repaint Exterior

- Fix Lock on 2nd window

Want:

- Repaint Interior

- Gut Dressing Room

- Repaint Dressing Room

- New Ramp Locks

Luxury:

- Move Rear Tack Pieces into Dressing Room.

- Stud wall divider
- Walk Through Tack Door

Phase One:

1) Strip all internal pieces out of trailer - dividers, tack, ect.

2) Power Wash interior and exterior

3) Repair all damaged fiber glass

4) Repaint

Phase Two:

1) Fix Window

2) Repaint Metal Interior Pieces

3) Replace Door Hardware

Phase Three:

1) Gut Dressing Room

2) Paint

3) Redecorate
4) Walk through Door

I will post images and up date this as I go.

On the horse front - shoes are back on and he is SOUND!!  I had a GREAT ride and lunged him 2x and he has been a super star!

Arg!

So this has been the crappy week full of crappy things.

Crappy thing number 1:  I went to jump last Thursday and had terrible pain in the knee I had surgery on.  The only change in the last 2 weeks was the number of times I made it to the pool.  It seems for the time being that my knee requires 3 days of swimming to be comfortable jumping.  My current work schedule makes that impossible.  I can just fit in 30 mins on the bike 2-3x per week.  The 7 fences I did jump were perfect.  Well, the pony was perfect.  No weaving, no stopping, no bucking.  Dutch was a star!

I just want this again.

Crappy thing number 2:  Due to a number of issues (money and reset time) we had to pull his shoes again.  Day 1 - not bad, sore on gravel but fine on sand and grass.  Day 3 - only walk sound on grass, boots are helping but not enough and I feel like a terrible person.

Or this....

I do not know where to go from here, feeling kinda hopeless.

So where are we

Ok, so here is the low down skinny on everything Princess Pony.  When I got Dutch 6 years ago he was a mess.  Over 400 lbs under weight, no hoof care for the last 3+ years, and very, VERY green.  We had a few years of trainer troubles, falls (and the concussions that go with them), and lameness issues.  The end result: I know this horse backwards and forwards, but I am still scared of jumping 3 ft; Dutch is sound. but his feet truly look terrifying; and my body is on the mend, but I am at least 30 lbs over weight.

I really do hate this picture, but it is honest about what we look like right now.

Our other issue is conditioning.  I love the sleek well fed look of a show hunter.  Dutch is a hard keeper who believes that turnout exists for no reason than doing gallop laps for 15 - 20 mins every couple of hours.  This means that instead of this:

Photo from wikipedia

I tend to have this:

Summer 2011

Right now, due to roughly 4 months off over the winter because I had knee surgery, he is in perfect weight.

Spring 2013

Summer 2013

I rode throughout my recovery - shhh, don't tell my doctor.  However, it took over six months for my knee to be comfortable in a saddle.  So I bought a big western bareback pad and schooled dressage.  I LOVE that pad and so does Dutch.  He is so much more relaxed and soft.  I have started doing all my flat schooling in it.  We started jumping again in the Spring.  It was like a light clicked on, not all the problems are gone but jumping is fun again.  So we are just schooling right now.  I ride on the fat 2-3 times a week and if my legs feel good I jump 1-2 days well.  We also go on fun little trails, mostly walking, just as a mental breather.

The BEST view in the world!!

Soon I hope to be here again, but without the fear.  That video was cut to not show the tears and refusals and the yelling, oh man the yelling. He is my sweet soft pony again and although is is still not an easy ride, we are trusting each other again.


As I was able to do more during our rides it became clear that having no shoes was not working.  He was being trimmed every 4 weeks and his feet had never 'looked' better.  His soles were still too thin and soft for any taxing footing, including sand arenas.  He had been barefoot for 2 years.  We tried booting him and it worked great while we were under saddle - but if he stepped on a rock in turn out he would be sore for weeks.  When I went in for surgery the rider that worked him 1-2x per week could never get his boots on, and no one cleaned up his toes between trims.  It all just seemed to fall apart.  So we put shoes back on and he is sound.  He still does not like gravel, and his feet bruise easily, but he is ridable everyday.


So there we are.  Getting back to work, making compromises, enjoying life.

ReStart

Ok, so I started this for a class years ago.  I am now going to make an attempt to revive it and become an actual blogger.

To begin again - Who we are-

Me: a not-yet-thirty high school teacher.  I have only three serious  horse goals. 1. A solid season eventing at BN; 2. Complete a 25 mile endurance ride; and 3. keep my horse sound and happy.  I also want to loose 20 lbs this year.  Hopefully typing these goals out will hep keep me motivated.

Pony:  Dutch is 2000 model Thoroughbred cross gelding.  He has been mine for 6 years.  He has a heart of gold, feet of glass, and the temper of a drunk Irishman.  In the next post I will expand a little on our never ending hoof saga, but really I see it as our only major road block to complete world domination.

I hope that by recording my thoughts here it will help me celebrate the good, shake off the bad, and keep moving forward.

Until next time, Life is good!

I am nervously awaiting a vet visit Thurs. to ultrasound Dutch's front right leg. I will have a further post detailing the whys, but basically he has not been under saddle since before X-mas and locked up in his stall since that time as well. As a result his hand walks have been interesting to say the least. Everytime I feel his body coil I freak out and have visions of huge lesions breaking open and ruining his leg forever.

Needless to say these walks are no the most relaxing things for either of us.

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.