The end of ownership of Annie

I have been busy. So busy that I forgot about my blog. So sorry for my very few followers. I feel rather bad for not continuing this commitment.

I am back at it now with some different news! A year and a half ago, yes that long, I sold Annie to a young lady named Sarah. They are a good fit and she is at the same barn as me so we can see each other still. I sold Annie because she was too much horse for me and I came across a smaller horse that was for sale.

This Pinto was at the barn for training because she was deemed crazy. The trainer could not find much crazy in her while she was riding, so she thought that maybe if she put another rider on her she would act different? Well I was the guinea pig and hopped on. I fell in love right away. It felt like putting a pair of boots that fit just right. She is smooth and fun to ride.

I bought her on my birthday, September 28, 2013. We have come a long way since but lot has happened in between. Her original name was Jingle Bells, and her previous owner was always riding with bells which probably made that horse craze! Well, we got rid of the bells and I changed her name to Bella. Bella was very unbalanced and did not get ridden very structurally. So I started a work out to try get us both balanced and better at transitions.

In December 2013 I won two months professional training at a different barn by a young trainer that started a business and wanted to get the word out there. I sent her there and visited once a week, in the middle of winter so I could watch her progress and ride her. She made some progress I agree. Some people did not have much faith in this trainer. I found out later many people had her labeled as bad trainer/selling horses not owned to her, etc. Well, I made sure my horse was well taken care of and I had access to her anytime. I had no issues. This training gave Bella a good foundation so I could continue it on. In February, her canter was head high and short periods. She was very unbalanced and did not like to canter. A year later, we can canter many turns, canter right from a walk, pick the correct lead, and the head is almost collected.

We are camping, trail riding, and did a Western Dressage Show last summer 2014. We won a couple of ribbons which was really impressive. Bella is a puppy dog and loves to be with me. She loves treats and learns tricks. She can smile, kiss, reach for a treat all the way on her butt and bow. We are working on perfecting the bow, and also working on liberty riding.

She did a parade, and can carry a flag. I even blind fold her and can ride her at the walk and trot blind. That is trust. That is what I was seeking. I also bought an old trailer. This gives me more independence and I can go riding alone sometimes, or meet up with friends.

This weekend we are going camping to hocking Hills, Ohio area at the Three Reason camping ground. This will be a fun experience. I think she is fit to tackle the big hills. There will be about 12 horses and 25 people. Large group this time around. Well, some are bringing their families. I will follow up with an update. PLEASE SEE MY NEW BLOG - BELLA THE PINTO THAT COULD

First Trail Competition event April 21st 2013

This past Sunday, I have participated in my very first trail competition which involved riding a 15 mile trail in under 2 hours and 50 minutes. We came in at 2 hours and 52 minutes. Laura and Barbara were placed in a HW classification while Alicia and myself were in the LW (light weight) class. I took third place in my class!

We trotted most of the time (and posted) with some canter periods (very short) and some walk periods. Annie was feeling good. When I gave cue to canter, she would squeal sometimes and buck her way up a hill. She did not do this every time though. She trotted all the way to the end and sweated a bunch but could have kept going longer. However, I could not. It is a lot of work. I feel it the next day where legs, arms, lower back hurts and are stiff. Overall we were successful and I stayed on through her “excitement”. We went to Brighton Rec area. The trails were dry and hilly. The hard part was trotting down hills (small hills, low pitch). For larger hills we walked down.

The final results: Barbara took first and Laura second in their class. Alicia I think was first and I third. The only thing is I  do not know the number of riders in each class. I will try to find out.

Next weekend I am supposed to attend a trail clinic with Mark Peterson and his famous horse Dusty. As long as he has enough participants he will do it. I can’t wait to meet him and his horse.

Check out mark and Dusty on google.

Spring arrived but it is still freezing!

So everyone is looking for that groundhog? I heard on the news this morning that he is "WANTED" for fraud. It is 18º degrees F out this morning. It should be 35º-40º normally. Hang in there, warmer weather is around the corner. Lol. If youremember, last year we had record high of 83º on March 20, 2012. For Michigan, that's hot! It is all that weather tempering they do up there.

We are getting Annie in shape (and myself if I might say). She gained weight this winter from eating more to stay warm, and she shows it well. She actually looked prego. And she would huff and puff after a half hour of work. She still does have more weight to loose, but it is coming off. She is also in conditioning and training to prepare for spring rides. We are doing a fundraiser breast cancer Fun Show on the 30th at Berwick Saddle Club. That will be fun. There will be indoor contests on horses, like balancing an egg on a spoon and travel a certain distance without dropping, pole races, barrels, along with a "wear pink" costume party.

In April, we will do an endurance ride. 15-20 mile run. I will try it for 15. It will be our first one. I am not rushing this one but will do my best. We will have to go on trail rides before that. Then Memorial weekend we go camping with the barn family. I always look forward to this. This time we are going back to Ionia. It is a great place and it is not too far.

In the meantime, Annie is being trained and I am taking lessons. Our canter is slower now (not a jog yet but slower). I also have better body position. The only thing is my leg tends to move forward still. I'll be ok at trot and walk, but at canter, not so much. I think it also has to do with the saddle maybe? I don't know. But I am working on it. Muscle memory is a difficult thing to learn. Annie is a sweetheart as always. We also put a Clinton Anderson snaffl bit on her and she tries to get on the bit more. I put my husband Bruce on her and had him walk her around to cool off. She would walk right back to me. She is such a mommy's girl. Bruce wants to learn. He understands that it takes a lot of concentration to maneuver and cue the horse. That is hard to do. Your left leg back, right rein on the bit, shoulders back, sit straight, look forward ... So many things to remember all at once. If I teach him, it could help me too in getting to know my stuff and seeing it done from the ground.

(sorry, i am not very good at video editing)

I am so much more happy - more confident - more knowledgeable. Keep on learning! Keep on riding!

Mo

In winter training mode

So we are in winter training mode. We are learning together (Annie and myself) on how to canter and stay balanced. Not an easy task to do. But with my trainer Laura and my hard work we are getting somewhere. Today we cantered quite a bit and not only Annie is balancing better (especially on the right lead), I am sitting back more and my hands are steadier.

I have a long way to go still, I know. But we will get there with persistence and patience. I have to learn to be light on her mouth and still retain control of directions and speed. The indoor arena could be a bit wider. But I think it may feel that way because Annie goes so fast and the turns come quickly.

Tata for now!

Mo

Oh no, back to ground work....

Well, since the last post, we have returned from our camping trip in Hocking Hills, Ohio area. The camping trip was fun although it was way more challenging then we ever had before. We setup up camp on Friday afternoon, then took a 30 minute ride to explore the property at the Spotted Ranch. We entered the woods slightly then darkness was falling fast so we returned to camp. The next morning, after breakfast, we saddled up Laura, John and myself and ventured out to a trail ride to remember. We began on a trail that came to a fork. Should we take left, which was downhill and looked a bit muddy, or right which went uphill but dry. We chose right. The start of the hill was not so bad, but then it kept going up and the angle was getting higher and higher. The trail name we took was called Dead Horse Drop...ooops, maybe we should have gone right. But to late to turn around. At this point we let the horses tackle this hills at their own speed, which was a hop and a hop and a hop canter style. Their noses were almost touching the ground. At mid point Annie decided to take a break by veering quick right and stopping. John almost kissed her butt. I put her right back on the track uphill and up we went. Atop the Mount Everest, we had a section of flat. We just went slow to give the horses a moment to catch their breath. There was a trail to the right so we took it. Good thing because the trail straight ahead was the Drop!. But even the trail we chose was getting steeper and not being to experienced with rugged terrain like this one, we decided to get off and walk it down. Good thing we did. At an opening we were able to get back on and continue on. We went back to home base, and rested a while. I think we scared off the others a bit. A couple of riders went on their own and I am not sure which trail they took but it was a muddy one and one of the girl's horse fell on her leg. She was ok but dirty and shaken up. They ran a riding ranch there. So they must take beginners on good trails right? So we asked and they told us which trail to take the next time around. It was better. Still steep hills up and down but good to work the butts. We also went hiking and did foot trails and site seeing. It is a beautiful part of the country.



Since we got back from our camping trip, we have not done much, but worked on collection in the arena. She had been an angel throughout, working hard with me and giving me what she could. We still have a long way to go as these things don't happen quickly. Especially when I am also learning how to do it to. I have been taking a few lessons with Laura and it helps quite a bit with someone looking at things from the ground and giving directions.


Last Sunday, December 9th, we went trail riding at Maybury. The weather was crappy, the trails were a bit muddy and we met up with four horse and riders from a different barn. Annie was , well some say excited, and I say a butthead. She has never been this bad. At the walk she was fine. At the trot she would want to take off and if the horse in front cantered, she would buck; cow hop and neigh, then want to sprint off. I would try to hold her off to gain control. Then she would hear canter behind us and buck and want to take off again. I stayed on, gladly because I did not want to fall on the muddy ground. We finally made it through and back to the trailer. When we left the barn she had loaded herself (yeah!), and on the way back too but needed a little persuasion. At least she can do it. Now the next few times I go see her, we will have to do ground work to give her a refresher of who is the boss. She normally is the best trail horse. I am not sure if it is because there were strange horses with us or if she did feel excited to be out and about in this crummy weather.  I’ll have to look at the saddle again, to make sure no bur or woodchip was under the saddle…you never know. Horses are hard to understand.

for now, Happy Holidays!

Summer 2012 Flying by!

Well, it has been a long time since I posted any update on this blog. It has also been a very busy summer. Spring was warm and dry so we started our trail riding early. In June we went horse camping with the barn group in Hell, MI. This campground is nice but not much accommodating to horses. There are no picket poles, so you had to tie your line between trees. The trails were not groomed and there were so many deer flies that we had to try to trot. This was difficult because of the overgrown branches that suddenly appeared in your path around a turn. Overall, it was a nice weekend with friends and our beloved pets.

 

The summer was very hot. We did our first parade July 4th in Northville, MI. It was really hot. The horses were a bit nervous at first because of the crowds and narrow streets. Kids everywhere...

 

I went riding with Barbara and Carol quite a bit. Carol and I go for the fast rides. We can cover 15 miles pretty fast. This gives me a taste for endurance riding, and I kind of like it. We would try to ride out early in the mornings to beat the mid-day 90 degree heat. Annie is coming along nicely. She is proficient on the trail and I can tell she likes it, especially if there are tall grasses that she can grab and go. She calls it fast food. Even at the trot she will grab some on the way.

 

 

In August, I signed up for a competitive obstacle course in Ray Township. This was organized by ACTHA. Alice came with me and we borrowed Barbara’s two-horse bumper-pull trailer. It was my first time driving a truck pulling a trailer. I did great and stayed between the lines. We camped overnight and in the morning, after breakfast, the course began. We each had starting times so we don’t overcrowd the obstacles. The goal is to perform six obstacles spread over six miles of trail in the allotted time without losing points or getting disqualified. The judges are judging the performance of the rider and the horse. The obstacles were opening a gate, walking over a tarp, walking over a long wooden bridge, walking thru the wine simulator, going up and down a small hill at a walk, and side pass over a pole. The results: I came in first in our division. Alice came in sixth. I for sure she would do better than me as she has been riding longer than me. But Annie did me proud. Oh, I also got best dressed! It was so much fun. I will do this again, but need to practice side passing.

 

At the end of September, the barn has organized our second camping trip of the year. This time we are going to Hocking Hills, Ohio and will camp four days. It will be fun. Some of our regular campers will not be able to come, but new campers will join in. I will give us a chance to get to know each other better as they are new to the barn. Bruce is coming along even though he does not have a horse. We will go hiking in the Hocking Hills forests one day, by foot. Maybe he can rent a horse. We are staying at the Spotted Horse Ranch.

 

Summer is ending fast, Annie is shedding her summer coat, I presume the winter will be a cold one. Keep on riding!

Equine Affaire

We did our Drill Team Show April 1st and it was a success. We did very well. Our spectators were proud and clapped. It was fun as well.

Now time to work on our camping trip in June. We are going to Hell's Creek this year. It is close and they have water and electric, and hot showers. Need to train and get fit for the long rides.

The Barn club and I are going to the equine affaire this weekend. We will do some shopping, and see a show.  Possibly they will have clinics, etc…it will be my first time there. We got a hotel room because the four hour drive can be a drag. I need to make a list of thing I would like to buy for my riding pleasure.

 In the meantime, my little princess Annie is now looking for me and comes to me when I call her. We went trail riding a few weeks back and she did ok for her first time on the trail for this year. She gave me a bit of attitude when she spotted other horses in a field but worked on getting her attention back and only took 2 minutes. She cantered hen asked and did not buck or sprint too fast. It was actually pleasant. She remains good in the arena when asked to canter. It is getting more comfortable.

I still want to take her to the track so we can work on it some more.

Mo