Laura 2, Appy-tude 1 (for those of you keeping score at home)

I went out to the barn for another ride last night. The weather was a bit iffy, but I knew I needed to just go and get out there.  I don't want to use "a chance of rain" as an excuse to not go out. The weather can be drastically different 30 minutes in any direction around here...so it is worth trying.

I actually managed to get a few pictures for you guys - just to show you a bit of the area where we ride.

Looking back towards the barn.  There is a round pen to our left

The farm is 100 acres and the barn in plopped right in the middle.  We are heading toward the front of the property here and the grass and other plants are very tall.  This section is also home to several deer.  The skies were starting to get very dark.  It had been raining on and off all day, so I was expecting to get a bit wet.

Sure enough, it started to rain pretty hard. That's when the appy-tude hit!  Apparently, once it started to rain, Rusty thought we should head back to the barn!  I gently reminded him otherwise and we kept going.  After a few minutes, it really started to pour, so I decided to head back, hoping that maybe it would let up a bit.  Sure enough, by the time we got back to the barn, it had almost stopped raining. I made an executive decision and decided to head back out.

This time, we went down the laneway and back.  Rusty was not amused.  I was willing to forgive one bit of attitude, but now he was starting to annoy me. So I decided we would ride past the barn several times, until he decided to relax and then we could go home.  He finally relaxed after another 20 minutes and we headed in.

Hey! There's the barn!  Let's go back!

I learned a few things on my ride tonight:

1. Contrary to popular belief, Appaloosas DO NOT melt in the rain;
2. I can be more stubborn than Rusty;
3. Riding in a light summer rain isn't that bad after all...

Rusty's "appy-tude" problems aren't that serious, they are just a bit annoying.  He just tries to turn for home by stopping and doing a slow turn on the haunches. There is no jigging, head-tossing or any dangerous behaviour (luckily!).  

I have two days off work and I'll be able to ride during the day (today is Canada Day!) so I think a couple of sessions with lots of trotting and cantering is in store for Monsieur Rusty.  Some good, old-fashioned exercise should help him out a bit!

Happy trails everyone!

A mish-mash of odds and ends

I thought I would post an update with bullets today, since I don't really have enough stuff to write a whole post with lately...

• We had an earthquake here last week! An earthquake!  5.0 on the Richter scale, which makes it a baby earthquake, but it was still a little scary. No damage around the city though.
• We finally finished redecorating our spare room - took us forever to get it finished.  Next up is tidying up the garden and lawn.
• Rusty is totally settled in at the new barn without any problems. I was a bit worried about how I would deal with things, since I was a bit spoiled at my old barn having a vet to consult on everything. So far, so good. Rusty is trimmed, vaccinated and had his teeth floated. His eyes have been fine so far (touch wood)...
• Rusty has been good about doing a few pony rides for my friends and their kids. He is a champ with a kid in the saddle and is just happy to plod around on a lead/longe line.  My friend even rode him on her own a bit last night and he was good. 
• I have been having fun riding with some of the other girls at the barn - what a novel concept - having someone else to ride with!  Rusty is also fine out on his own - except he gets a little nervous when we go through one field that has a lot of deer lurking in the long grass. Luckily his spooks are very tiny.  :-)
• I'm a bit obsessed with British hunter/foxhunting tack lately - I occassionaly buy a British horse magazine and they had a big spread about appropriate tack and attire for showing hunter - a bit different from here - I'll do a post on it when I have a bit more info.
• Imagine my surprise when I was at my local tack shop yesterday buying fly spray and I found a very old English hunter style bridle on consignment for $20! A-ha! I bought it.  Impulse buy? Totally.  I'm going to clean it up and hang it up at home or something. I might have Rusty model it for fun, but I doubt I will actually use it.  (So much for my record of going into tack shops and not buying anything! That lasted about 1 week. lol)
• I've also been looking for a wooden tack trunk for ages. I didn't really want to order one online because they are pretty expensive and the shipping would be outrageous. I also don't really know anyone that could build one.  On a whim last Friday, I checked our local horse message forum and found a tack trunk for sale.  A couple of emails later, it was dropped off at my house, since the girl that owned it was moving to a new house about 10 minutes from me... Nice coincidence!

Hopefully I will get around to a post with pictures soon - I have to find a case or something for my camera/cell phone for when I'm riding. Still haven't found anything that I like...

Enjoying the summer so far...

Things have been quiet around here of late.  My Mom was in town visiting for a few days, then we took her and my mother-in-law to New York City for a few days. It is about a 7hr drive from here to a town in upstate NY and then a short 1.5 hour train ride right into Grand Central station.  For a girl that grew up in the country and loves the countryside, I sure love New York City - not sure exactly why, but I've been there three times in the past 13 months!

Grand Central Station

I had a great ride on Rusty on Tuesday - I had the day off for my farrier visit and took advantage of that day to go for a nice 1.5 hour hack!  We saw a couple of deer even!  Rusty was a bit nervous when he heard the deer rustling in the long grass, but he didn't do much, except trying to turn for home once.  I just turned him back and we kept going.   I have been having some nice long canters along the big hay field as well - it sure feels great!  I think riding at this place has done alot for my confidence - I did alot of trail riding as a kid and that level of comfort is coming back. It helps that Rusty has proven to be a super trail horse. He is very reliable and not spooky at all.

I had a minor little surgery on my leg (vetwrap is awesome for securing bandages on human legs as well as animal ones!  And much cheaper than stuff in the drugstore!) on Thursday and can't ride for a few days, so when I was at the barn yesterday, I had to think up something else to do...

I decided to just take Rusty in the round pen and free lunge him for a bit. We both got bored of that pretty quickly, so I took advantage of a yellow pool noodle that was hanging around for a bit of training with him.  Now, I realize the chance of us running into a pool noodle out on the trail is pretty slim, but it amused me and that is all I had, so I just went with it.

He tolerated it fairly well and only was a bit nervous when I was putting it around his feet. He is sensitive to stuff around his feet and that is something I need to work on a bit more.  He took off at a trot when I was flipping the noodle around in the air - who needs a lunge whip when you have a pool noodle?  :-)

After 30 minutes or so, he was a bit annoyed with the whole process.  I was a bit bored too, so we took one last picture and then I let him graze on the lawn for awhile - that was the best part of the afternoon for him, I'm sure!

Must you take more pictures of me? Ugh.

Silent Sunday

Our first three rides at the new place!

Yes, you read that right - I've gone on three big rides since I moved Rusty last Friday.  I think I have put in more hours in the saddle this past week, than I did in most of the month of May at the other place!

Rusty seems to have settled in like a champ.  He doesn't appear to be stressed or anything. Although, he was pretty happy to see me on Monday evening. I got to the barn around 5pm and it was hot and the bugs were vicious...(The deer flies and horse flies are vicious right now - the mozzies will be out in full force now since we've had a bunch of rain.) He and the other 2 geldings had been running around to avoid the bugs and they were all sweaty and wild-eyed. 

Rusty was fine once we were in the barn and away from the bugs.  I had arranged to go out on a nice hack with the barn owner's daughter and a neighbour down the road. All told, we were out riding around for over 2 hours!  I don't think we trotted once, but it was fun walking all over the property and down the road and back.  We visited the neighbouring barn (fancy dressage place), walked an old laneway with a creepy old house (will try and get pics sometime) and even saw a deer hiding out along the trail.

I feel so welcome at this barn - the people are friendly, the property is gorgeous and it really seems to suit my needs right now.  It is also pretty quiet there - there aren't many lessons, if any, going on and people just come and go as they please. 

I sort of had Rusty on a "probation" of sorts...I had been pretty frustrated with a mix of my riding skills and his behaviour while at the old barn.  I had a really bad ride out around the fields at the old barn and was really second-guessing my move to a trail riding facility.  I told myself that I would give Rusty the summer to settle in and see how he did on the trails and I would sell him if needed in the fall.

So far, I think we are good. He has been going out where ever I point his little spotted nose and just trucks along. No spooking, no jigging, no bolting.  *Phew!*  I rode alone on Wednesday night and he was super - we did a few long trots along some of the trails and he just trucked along - no speeding up, no giraffe impressions...  Our ride was cut short due a bunch of black clouds and some thunder. I didn't really want to get caught out in a storm...This weekend, I hope to get a few canters in to see how that goes. I'm not expecting any problems.

All told, I'm pretty happy! Sorry I don't have any pictures yet - Richard took one on Sunday, but I look terrible, so I'm not posting it!  I need to find some sort of holder for my iphone so I can take it out with me while I ride. Any ideas?  I don't really want it strapped to my saddle, in case I fall. It won't do me much good on the horse! 

Check this out!

**Give this a chance - it gets better around the 48 second mark, then really cool around the 1min20second mark!

Updates on our first ride to come tomorrow...

Rusty's new home

Rusty is now at his new home.  He was shipped over at 5:30 yesterday by my former barn owner.  He trailers well, which is nice to know.

In typical Rusty fashion, he took it all in stride.  He looked around a bit, but was happy to be hand-grazed for a while as the two barn owners chatted and had a quick tour.  We tucked him into his stall and he quickly gobbled up a bit of grain, had a big drink and was quiet as a mouse.  He is being turned out with two horses today, so hopefully that goes well.  The paddock is a decent size, so I hope they get along all right.

It has been a dry and very warm spring so far in my little part of the world.  The farm is wonderful - it isn't fancy, but the 100 acres it is set in is very, very nice.  It reminds me a bit of home - just being out in nature and the way the light hits the tress... *sigh*  The barn is in the middle of the 100 acres. It is an old farm and there are still several old log buildings from the original farm (I'll have to find out when it was built) and even though they aren't in the best shape (the stable is newer, don't worry!) I like they way they look.

There is a busy eventing stable across the road and sometimes their boarders come over for a hack. Apparently we can go over and have a look around their place too. I'll have to get out and do that sometime soon.  I got to meet two girls last night. They took their horses through the "pond". Having some water to cross is a great training opportunity - not to mention really fun!

More to come on Sunday when we go out for our first ride!

(Edited to add: Kitty is doing 100x better today. Looks like he will be ok.  I should probably wait to post about sick pets, because so far, they have all been getting better by the time I post! )

A long overdue update

Well, life got in the way of blogging yet again. You'd think that if I was that busy, I'd have all kinds of things to blog about...not so much.  :-)

Here is a bit of a summary:

Work:  I have been applying for new jobs within the government.  I have been doing tests and interviews like crazy.  I also had to study and write three French tests to assess my level of French.  (Since I work in the capital, almost everything has some level of bilingualism required.)  I totally aced my tests and got a higher level than what I required for my job!  I'm sure with some work, I will be able to achieve the sought after level of "exemption" - which means I will never have to do the tests again.  Not bad for an English girl who just learned French in school!

Home:  I've been busy trying to get my yard and garden in shape. I'm not much of a gardener, but I like my yard and flower beds to be neat and tidy.  The weeds have other plans though.  We've also repainted a spare room and fixed up our bedroom a bit.  Next project is repainting the main floor. 

Pets:  My cat was sick on the weekend - he is borderline anemic (low red blood cells) and we are watching him closely.  He has been acting better the past couple of days, but time will tell if there are more problems.  I had x-rays done on Tuesday and they didn't find any tumors or masses and his kidney and liver are fine, but there could be bone marrow problems.  *sigh*  It is hard when your pets aren't well - trying to decide about what treatments and tests are worth it and which ones aren't. 

Horse: Rusty is doing well and seems to be enjoying his extremely relaxed schedule of 1-2 rides per week.  We have had two lessons this month and we have our last one tonight.  He is moving to his new barn tomorrow afternoon!!!  I'm really excited, but also can't believe how fast the month of May is blowing by.  I have taken him out in the hayfields a couple of times and he was giving me a bit of appy-tude, but I was able to outsmart him.  Ha! 

He doesn't like going out on his own very much.  He will walk along fine, then stop and do two 90 degree turns on the haunches and face home. He doesn't spin fast, bolt or jig, he just ignores any aids and turns to face home. I find it quite funny, because it is really quite a lame show of disobedience.  I just then ask him to turn back towards the fields, pop him with a crop and he continues on.  If I'm paying attention and catch him before he stops completely, I give him a tap with the crop and he just grunts and keeps walking.  What a guy.

Riding confidence: I had a good thing happen on Monday. I was out riding alone in the fields and I wanted to take a picture.  I had my camera and case hooked on the saddle horn. When I went to grab the camera, I dropped the case!  I was out at the back of the farm and didn't really feel like taking Rusty back and then walking alllll the way back to get my case.  I have a hard time mounting from the ground, so I had a bit of a dilemma on my hands.  I decided to just get off Rusty, get the case and walk back to the barn.

I was part way back and decided it would be much more fun and faster to just ride. So, I had the genius idea to just lower my stirrup a couple of holes to help me get on from the ground. It totally worked and I was able to get my case AND ride back.  Ha!  Turns out that even at two holes longer, I could still keep my foot in the stirrup without any trouble.

And that is about all that is going on here... Can you handle the excitement??? lol

Stay tuned for a report on the new barn this weekend! (and hopefully some pictures!)

Where have I been????

Sorry for the radio silence over here. I was out of town for the past week visiting my family. I also had a trip-within-a-trip for our annual girls shopping trip in Michigan. I'm back at work today and I'm already grumpy. lol  It sure didn't take long!  I had a nice time with my family.  It is hard sometimes to miss out on all of the stuff that fills someone's daily life, but I managed to cram in quite a few things in my week there.

I attended my cousin's rugby game and got to meet my brother's new puppy!

This little cutie is "Riggs". My brother and his girlfriend just lost their old girl a few weeks ago and were ready for a new puppy. They said that the house was too quiet without a dog there.

I am missing my horse and the smells of the barn, but the next best thing for me is being in a forest.  These photos were taken in a small forest near my Mom's house in the city.  It isn't home, but it reminds me of the forest where I spent most of my childhood playing. 

An extreme close-up of a trillium - our provincial flower...

Max had to pose for a few pictures for me...

I hope to have some horse-related posts going later this week! Now I am off to catch up on everyone else's blogs!

Random Tuesday Blatherings

I am a bad horse mom. I haven't been to see Rusty in a week!  Eep!  I had a busy and stressful week last week, so I'm glad it is over.  I actually had a good lesson and ride on Rusty last Monday, so I hope some of that stuck in his little pea brain for our next ride - which I am hoping will be tonight!

So, the big barn dilemma of 2010 has come to a close. I spoke with my current BO and we had a great talk.  I have decided to move Rusty and we will be packing up and heading to the new barn on May 28th.  It was a tough decision because I do like my current barn, but a summer/fall of trail riding sounds like a lot of fun.   Since I will be saving money in board, I will be applying that money to regular lessons, starting in the fall. I will ride one of the BO's horses (hopefully the cute buckskin pony!) I really wanted to keep a good relationship with my current BO (I'm going to need better nicknames eventually) as she is one of the best instructors I have worked with. She is so good at explaining concepts as well as modifying exercises if things aren't working. 

I've done a lot of thinking (big surprise! lol) over the past couple of weeks about where I want my riding to go over the next few years. I haven't really ended up with a clear path because there are lot of things I would like to do.  I've reserved making a decision on anything big until I've had a summer/fall of riding at the new place. If Rusty and I aren't having fun, then I will look at trying to sell him next spring and find a better match.  Next summer I will have the option of showing (schooling shows only at this point - that's all I'm interested in) one of the current BO's horses - she often takes a couple of horses and a bunch of kids out to these shows.  So, I have lots of options and lots of time to try out some different horse activities and find which ones (maybe all of them!) suit me and Rusty.

I'm looking forward to exploring the trails and a few good canters through the fields at the new place. Hopefully the bugs won't be too bad! Note to self - invest in horse AND people bug spray!

Sunny Sunday at the barn

Who doesn't love a good roll in the sand?

And a good shake?

Look at my nice trot - too bad you can't make me do that under saddle...

(Notice the mouth full of hay here? There was a round bale at the end of the arena and he kept trying to steal a bite)

It is hard to get good pictures when riding alone...

Back out in the paddock after a ride and his first tail wash of the season.  His tail has grown about six inches in the past year! It is still quite thin down at the bottom, but it is something at least!

The Dilemma - Part 2

You can read part 1 here...

I don’t want to keep harping on about whether I should move Rusty or not, but I do want to document my thought process here. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for their comments, suggestions and support. I knew you guys would be a great sounding board for this issue!

One thing that is bugging me a bit about my current barn is that I can’t let anyone besides me even sit on my horse. Not a huge deal, but we have a few friends with kids that would love to visit Rusty. I just have to say no now to keep things simple. Other barns I have been at just require me to sign a waiver and I can do what I want with my horse (except teach other people, which I am ok with).

Stephanie asked what I want to do with my horse(s) in the future – and to be honest – I have no idea anymore. I think I may like to try some fun shows later on, but in the short term, I just want to ride without any pressure. Now, this pressure has all been created by me at this point – no one is pressuring or pushing me to do anything. So, I will need a new horse for those future goals, but it won’t be for a couple of years at this point. That will give me time to save up some money and refine my riding skills a bit and see where that takes me. I’m sure Rusty will be ready for retirement in a couple of years anyway, so that might be the best option for me right now.

I’ve come to terms with my situation a bit better this past week. Thanks to your helpful comments, I’m letting go of the guilt. I’ve realized that it is ok to change barns and/or focus. My current barn worked out well for me at the time, but I just don’t think it does anymore.

Broaching the subject with my BO is the tough part – I don’t like springing big news on people – it always makes me nervous. I don’t want to be judged or criticized for my decision, so I’m dreading that a bit. I’m hoping that she will understand and that I can leave on good terms. By moving to another barn, I will be saving at least $100, which I can then apply to lessons. I’m hoping to take lessons with her over the fall/winter using one of her horses, so I can work on learning more without the pressure of doing the lessons on Rusty and being frustrated.

On that note, I think it is safe to say that I have decided to move Rusty. I’ve been researching barns in the area and have two on my short list. Both have most of the qualities I am looking for this time around:

• Cheaper board, without compromising care

• Trails and hay fields to ride on

• People to ride with

• Within a 30 minute drive from home

• Not too busy with kids doing lessons

• Lessons available (although not from a certified instructor)

• Flexible – ie I can bring my own coach, vet, farrier, as well as let other people ride my horse a bit

One barn is the place I was at before. Some of you may remember that I moved Rusty away from there because he was being badly picked on in small overcrowded (IMO) paddock. I sent out a tentative email to the BO there and asked if the amount of horses she boarded had decreased a bit and if Rusty could be turned out in a smaller group. This is possible at the moment, but she couldn’t guarantee that it would stay that way. So, that raised a bit of a flag for me.

I visited a second barn last weekend and the property is really nice. They have 100 acres (which is pretty big for the immediate area near me). It is all trails and they are working on cutting more trails every year. Right now, they have about 5 miles of trails, roads and fields to ride on. That is pretty enticing to me! Another perk about this place is that it is on the same quiet dead-end gravel road as two other stables. One is a fancy-ish dressage stable and the other focuses on eventing and jumping. It is possible to take lessons at the eventing barn in their indoor arena over the winter and to use their facilities outdoors – which include a half-mile track and cross-country course. Now, I hope you guys are chuckling a bit at that – because I can’t really see Rusty and me galloping the track or jumping much of anything, but it is nice to have some options! 

So, the end to this somewhat long and drawn-out story is that I’m going to make a move. I’m going to go visit the second barn again on Saturday to make sure I still get a good vibe from the place. The move probably won’t happen until June 1, due to giving proper notice and all, but I think it is going to happen!

Fun filled weekend

Thanks for all of your comments and advice on my dilemma. I'm going to think on things for awhile and make some decisions. I'm not in a terrible rush, so I'm going to weigh all of my options before I do anything.

I had a great weekend. I had Thursday afternoon off, as well as Friday and Monday.  I made it out the barn everyday but Sunday, so I feel good about that.  Rusty and I had one good ride and the rest were just ok. 

I wanted to share a few pictures from my day on Sunday - we were at my in-laws new house and we enjoyed a great sunny day. It was warm enough to wear flip-flops (yeah!) but with a nice cool breeze. There were Easter egg hunts, a nice lunch and some fun with firearms!  :-)  (Mrs. Mom and Stephanie will like this part!). I practiced firing a .22 rifle and a WWI German Luger!  It was pretty damn fun, although I don't think I would ever feel comfortable carrying a loaded weapon on my person.  I have a couple of gun pictures, but I don't feel comfortable posting them...so you will get cute dog pictures instead! 

A pic of my feet - standing on a chunk of snow and ice at the edge of the river

One of my nephews working hard at finding Easter eggs...

Max had a great day playing in the water - I managed to get him to sit still for a minute for this picture.

Here he is jumping out of the water onto the chunk of ice. He enjoyed rolling in the snow after his dip in the water.

This adorable puppy is my father-in-laws new Border Collie, Gypsy. She is 4 months old and really cute. She was a bit shy with all of us, but she'll adapt soon.  The good news is that I get to take care of her for 3 months next winter when my in-laws go to Florida!

A couple of attempts at capturing the sunset after a great sunny day...

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend!

The Dilemma

I think part of the reason I haven’t been posting much is that I have been having a hard time with riding over the past few months. Nothing is really wrong, per se, but I just haven’t been enjoying myself much. I board at a barn with a nice indoor arena and I just didn’t use it much. I maybe rode 1x/week over the winter. Not so good when you are paying a lot of money for board.

I also don’t feel like I am making a lot of progress with my riding skills. I’ve been riding again as an adult for about 3 years now. I feel like I am sort of stuck at the advanced beginner/ low intermediate stage. I had really hoped to be making more progress by now as my goals were to go to a few schooling shows by this summer. That just won’t happen – Rusty isn’t really properly trained to go to a show anymore and I just don’t have the skills. I had been sort of focusing on this goal and I was really beating myself up about not achieving it. (Now, I know that to improve at anything, you need to get out there and do it more. Getting out and riding 4x/week would probably get me some improvement, I’m sure.)

After a really bad ride a couple of weeks ago, I sort of broke down and contemplated trying to sell Rusty and maybe taking a break from riding. I quickly realized that not riding wasn’t really an option for me. I do enjoy it too much to just give up that easily.

There a few issues on my mind:

• Rusty isn’t a great fit for me physically – my short legs and his large barrel look mismatched and it is hard for me to use my leg properly
• Since I’ve backed off the goal to show, I’ve realized that although I like riding in the arena, I would really love to get out and trail ride and just enjoy being on horseback instead of worrying about the finer details all the time
• There is nowhere to really ride out at my current barn. There are some hayfields, but they are under snow and water 11 months of the year. The one month they are ride-able is often extremely buggy.
• I can ride on the road by the barn, but it is extremely busy with morons that drive too fast
• No one at my current barn really wants to ride out in the fields/road, so I am alone 99% of the time.
• While I really like the care Rusty is getting at my barn, there are a lot of rules. And I mean A LOT. I typically like rules and have no problems following them. Right now, I can’t bring anyone to the barn but the hubby (without a big approval process) and I can’t let anyone even sit on Rusty. (I’m sure this is due in part to insurance issues)

So, with all of those little issues swirling around in my mind for the past 2 weeks, I’ve been thinking of some options (in no particular order):

• Try and sell Rusty or find him a good home. I had hoped to keep him and retire him, but maybe that isn’t the best option. Not sure on this one…
• Move barns – find a place with more hacking/trail riding and cheaper board. That way I would probably keep Rusty and just have fun with him on the trails
• Find a barn with cheaper board ( but with good care, of course) and ride Rusty on some trails, while looking for a new, smaller horse (under 15hh) that might suit me a bit better. (I could probably afford two horses at a different farm. I’ve looked up a couple of places where outdoor board is almost half of what I pay now)
• Stay where I am and just deal with it and try and ride in the ring a few times per week

I hope all of this doesn’t sound too whiney. I know I am lucky to have a horse in the first place and I do appreciate that. There are also lots of people whose horses are sick or injured or they can’t ride anymore for all kinds of reasons. These are just the issues I’m going through right now and thought I would share them here.

So – what do you guys think of all this? I could really use some opinions here. I feel a bit stuck and I’m not sure of the best plan of action right now. I’m not in any rush to make any decisions, but I do want to keep trying to move forward and resolve a few things.

I'm baaaaaaacckk!

Hi everyone! I've been itching to write a few posts lately, so I'm taking that as a sign that I should start posting again. I won't write a big long post today, but I have a few big issues I'm going to need some advice on over the next few weeks.

I've been busy for the past little while- there has been alot going on in my personal life that needed some attention. Things are improving on that front, so I feel a bit more free now to focus on the fun stuff in my life, such as working out and riding!

What have I been up to, you ask? How about a tidy bulleted list? :-)

• My step-son finally moved out. That is a big relief for me. Things were difficult dealing with him at home and now he can work things out on his own. We will work at building a better relationship with him, but it will be easier without day-to-day life getting in the way.
  
• I've started applying for new jobs, which is quite time consuming in the government. I have had tests, interviews and more tests. Things are looking good for a change this year though. I'm applying for promotions, so the process is a bit more involved.
  
• I'm doing a major overhaul/spring cleaning on my house. I'm working on prepping rooms in most of the house for new paint and new trim. It is long overdue. Can't wait for the long Easter weekend to get started.
  
• My crazy cat hurt his leg and we had to make another trip to the vet. Luckily his leg wasn't broken, but just sprained, so he is now back to his old self. I love our vet clinic - they are very nice and concerned about every pet that comes in there. They all love how mellow my cat is when he is at their office.
  
• Richard and I have our income tax done and submitted almost a month before it is due - this is 100% better than last year - I am even getting a refund!
  
• Rusty wintered well and I have been riding a couple of times per week. We have even been riding outside in the sand arena for the past two weeks. Our weather here has been unbelievable. We haven't had snow for over a month and it has been so warm that all of the snow on the ground is gone too. I even have a few tulips trying to grow in my garden. There a couple of spots of greeen grass around and a few buds on the trees. Spring is such a great time in cold climates - everyone feels renewed and energized and looking forward to the summer.

I think that is a good first post - more to come in the next few days...!

Taking a break

I don't really have much to write about these days... I think about post ideas and can't seem to come up with anything interesting.

So, I'm going to take a break for awhile - not sure how long it will be. I am on twitter and Facebook, so if anyone wants to keep track of me there, send me an email and we'll sort that out.

~ Happy trails ~

I love the Olympics - Our first gold medal!

Not too much going on here, so I thought I would link to some awesome (woot!) Olympic footage of an amazing young Canadian athlete.

Alexandre Bilodeau won our first gold medal of these games, as well as the first gold medal for Canada on Canadian soil. There were some great feature videos on this guy, to give us a bit of background on him... Some of the athletes stories are just so touching.

(Note - I'm not sure how to embed these videos, so you'll have to just click on the links... Also hope they will work in the US...)

This video is a bit of a tearjerker, in my opinion.

Watch his winning run here... (watch for his brother in the stands)

There are a couple more video links on the main page, which are worth watching if you have the time (or didn't watch it live!)

(Note - here is a link from NBC (that I can't watch...) in case my links don't work...)

Are you watching the Olympics? What sports are your favourites?

What my pets will do for a treat*...

Things are pretty quiet around here. I've tried to write a couple of posts, but don't really have enough material to cobble something together. So, instead of any real content, I give you another silly video of my pets. :-) Make sure you have your sound on, if you can. Also, sorry that it is a bit dark...

*Interestingly enough, the cat and dog will start this little act on their own to get our attention. Once we look over, they sit up and look at the pantry where the treats are kept.... Not sure who has who trained...? lol

It's not easy...

...to resist tack sales!!!! Check out what was in my inbox today... Horseloverz.com is a site I order from often because they are great about shipping to Canada. I think I need to unsubscribe from this email list, before I do something silly and order more tack I don't need!

Never fear - my credit card is safe today... I don't know if I can hold out 'til June though (one of my goals for 2010!)

A Winter's Walk

I don't have much going on here in littlekeeblerland, so I thought I would post the photos from my 15 minute walk down the driveway on the weekend. It has been alternating rain and snow for the past couple of days, so I'm glad I was able to get out on the weekend.

Heading north down the driveway...not too far to go today

Trying to get a nice winter shot of Rusty...

I like this gnarly tree - can't remember what kind it is - the bark is a strange colour...

Cute little bunny tracks

I stopped a few times to try and get a good shadow picture

I really like macro shots - need to practice at them though. My little camera isn't the greatest for those shots.

On the way back to the barn, looking over at the arena. Rusty is hoping that we don't have to go back in there and do more work!

Squeaky Snow Sunday

I thought I would shake up a silent Sunday post by posting a video of Rusty and the squeaky snow we have right now. Please excuse my mad video skillz - it is hard to walk and video things! It was such a nice day here that I decided to take Rusty for a walk down the laneway after our ride.

Squeaky Snow in January from Laura Jones on Vimeo.

Good news about Max!!

It turns out that Max has not ruptured his ACL after all!!!!! Wooooo!! That is good news for both us and for Max!

We finally had our appointment with the surgeon and based on the amount of stability in the knee, he felt that the ACL is ok. He suspected that there might be some very minor damage, but the knee joint is very stable and Max isn't in any pain, so we are good for now.

Max is restricted to handwalking for a couple more weeks, then he should be able to play off-leash again. The vet has just advised against having him jump too much. Max loves jumping on top of, over and after things - fences, frisbees, benches, snowbanks, horse jumps, etc... but we will have to be diligent and not let him do those things any more.

Now I just have to relax and stop worrying about him...!

Silent Sunday

What a weekend...

2010 really isn't off to the best start with me... Life sure likes to throw in challenges to keep you on your toes!

On Friday afternoon, we found out that the hubby is losing his job at the end of January. We were sort of expecting this and he has a few leads on new jobs, but we're not sure how it will all go. Fun!

And - remember that emergency vet fund I was so proud of in my New Year's post? Well, I'm extremely glad I have it, because we'll be needing it.

Rusty is fine - hopefully he stays that way.

It is my dog Max. We are pretty sure that he has ruptured his ACL. We saw our vet on Saturday morning and she was very sure that was the problem. She was kind and saved us the money for sedation and x-rays to confirm, since the orthapedic surgeon will be re-doing all of the tests when we see him early next week.

What a bummer! Max seems to be in good spirits and acting like his normal wiggly self, he just can't put much weight on his back leg, which confuses him sometimes.

On a good note, I saw Avatar this weekend and it was really good! The graphics/animation/3D were spectacular and well worth the money to go out and see it!

I also rode ol' Rusty for the first time in a month. He was a bit peppy, which for Rusty is probably the energy level of a normal horse! lol He even threw in a few little crow hops and head tosses just to keep me guessing. As much as it is annoying, I have to laugh at him when he does this, because he doesn't put a lot of effort into his bucks - I'm sure he could, but he just does enough to try and get out of working. What a guy.

I've also done a few clicker training sessions (just for something different to do) with him and he is really getting it. I keep meaning to do a post about it, but I need to get some pictures or video first, because it is pretty funny.

Sorry for the bummer post, but that is what is happening in my little corner of the world today!

Wordless Wednesday - barn cat edition

Farewell 2009...

...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

I think I will join in with some of my fellow bloggers and do a bit of a review on 2009. Then I can close the file on that year and look forward to 2010. I'll spare you guys the boring details, but in a nutshell, 2009 had a lot of ups and downs for me - but that is life, isn't it? To quote Forrest Gump:

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

Let's see in 2009: Rusty had a really bad uveitis flare-up (thought he was going to go blind, but turns out he is ok) and a mild impaction colic a few weeks ago (also now fine). I got my new

western saddle in August and I still love it. The last six months have been a bit stressful for me, health-wise. Doing quite a bit better now and have about 6 Dr's appointments in January to hopefully sort out everything else. I did manage to get in a decent amount of riding - I even cantered around the hay fields - a first for me with Rusty.

OK - goals for 2010...

I’m not a huge believer in official New Year’s Resolutions per se, but I do think it is a good idea to write out some goals for the year. A couple of times in the past, I have made a big declaration that I would do something in the year coming up and when I didn’t achieve it, I felt like a bit of a failure.

So, this year, I will write out some goals that are attainable – and to do something a bit different, I’m going to review them every 3 months or so to make sure I’m on track or to see if I need to make a few modifications. We actually do that at work with our performance reviews, because as we all know, the best laid plans often go awry…

Without further ado, here are my horsey goals for 2010 (you are all sitting on the edge of your seats, jus waiting for this, aren’t you??? lol)

• During the winter months, make it to the barn 3x a week to ride or work on clicker training (started this last week for something fun and Rusty was actually getting it – more to come on this)
• In the spring/summer/fall (April – October), ride or work with Rusty 4x a week.
• Attend a hunter pace or an organized trail ride. (Need to set aside a bit of money for trailering fees now and review dates/options)
• Continue weekly lessons starting in Feb or March (often too cold in Jan) if financially possible, if not lessons twice a month will be a good alternative
• Maintain my emergency vet fund (for all pets). I have a decent amount set aside and I need to make sure not to touch that money…

Here is my crazy one that I might not be able to keep, but need to try:

• Avoid buying any tack, riding clothes or anything from a tack shop (except in case of emergency), in person or online until June 2010 (this may sound drastic, but I have so much tack for one horse that it is almost embarrassing! I actually bought 4 new saddle pads this fall! I think I have a problem!)

And the most important one:

• Start a contingency fund for a new horse and/or for retirement board.

Yes, this seems a bit drastic, but if something were to happen to Rusty, I have no money set aside to buy a new horse. Rusty is happy, healthy and sound right now, but he is close to 20 and you just never know. If he were to be retired all of a sudden, I also couldn’t afford to board two horses at my current barn. I should also add a sub-goal to this one – research a few retirement farms in the area, just so I know my options. I know there are a few farms where I could board two horses for just a little more than I pay for Rusty right now. I really like where I am, but money is the driving factor, unfortunately…

Happy New Years to everyone - your families and your four-legged companions, large and small!

Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a chance to take a break and enjoy some good food and time with friends, family and equines! :-)

Stick a fork in me, I'm done...

Just a quick update from me today:

1) Rusty's eyes seem to be doing ok - bute and wearing a fly mask seem to be keeping things under control. As long as they don't get as bad as last year, we'll be ahead of the game...

2)I bought a new saddle pad for my western saddle and I think it is super - I caved and spent the money on a Thinline felt western pad. It is grey felt, with a thinline pad sewn in the top. I think it really does absorb some shock. I'm a bit of a bouncy rider and I think it was making Rusty even more grumpy than usual. I've ridden twice with it (with a wool blanket on top) and it really seems to make a difference. So, here's to a product that actually sort of does what it is advertised to do!

3) I won a book from a blog contest from the wonderful Oregon Sunshine. I received the book a couple of weeks ago, but have been very negligent in posting about it. It is a book called "Hope Rising" by Kim Meeder, stories from a non-profit horse rescue in Central Oregon. I've been warned that I will need some kleenex while reading, so it sounds like a wonderful book to get into on a cold, damp winters day.

4)I'm going to take a break from this blog for awhile. I think just until after Christmas, but we'll see. I just don't have much going on and I'm having a hard time coming up with stuff to write. I'm also stressed out and tired, so a break will give me a chance to get things sorted out. I'll still be writing over at Cowboys Love Fat Calves with that wonderful group of ladies, as some of my stress is from health and fitness issues. I still plan to keep reading and commenting, since I don't think I could stay away from horse blogs for too long! :-)

Happy trails!

Trying to look ahead, not back

Holy cow. What a crappy week I had last week. I'm trying not to dwell on what happened, but move forward and have a better time of things this week.

Stress just plain stinks. I'm sure everyone knows what I mean.

Rusty and I had a bad week too. We did 3 rides and he was used in a lesson on Thursday. Sounds good right? Well, we have been battling each other this week. I find it frustrating because I know alot of the problems are in my riding. I keep hoping to have made more progress by this point in my riding. Oh well....keep keeping on, right?

Rusty is also having eye problems again. It seems to flare up this time of year for some reason. He is on bute and it helps, but you can still sort of tell he isn't quite himself.

We don't need the vet out, since it is the same deal as last year. Although, I'm tempted to ask our friend some questions. I actually have a veterinary ophthalmologist in my living room right now! He is a friend of my hubby's and they are working in their bicycles together. I really don't like to bother him when he is here for a fun visit, so I'll save my questions in case things get worse and I really need his help.

Goals for this week:

• Evaluate Rusty's eye and talk with the barn owner to see if riding is a good idea right now, or if we should give him a bit of a break until his eye clears up a bit. If she thinks it is ok to keep riding (she's a vet), then we'll keep plugging along and working on our issues!
• Try and think positive!!!! It is so easy to dwell on the negative things and miss the good things...

What is everyone up to this week? Lots of big plans for Thanksgiving for you gals down south?

Random update

I really don't have alot to say for once! I've been riding and going to work and grumbling about the darkness and the mud.

The mud. Holy cow guys, the mud at the barn is just brutal. And it isn't going away. For the first time probably ever, I'm wishing for the ground to freeze and a good layer of snow to hit. Every time I've been at the barn over the past three weeks, I've been faced with this:

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Look at that tail! I actually had to leave it, because it was only just above freezing. My hands couldn't take the cold water and I didn't want Rusty to get cold... It rained the day after I took these pictures, so it rinsed out his tail enough that it doesn't look like that any more.

One more picture to share - I bought Rusty a cute black and green cooler. He doesn't work super hard in our lessons, but now that he is pretty fuzzy, I wanted to have something to put on him just in case. I got it on sale from Dover and it is a smidge small for him - we can just barely get the belly straps done up (ahem - Mr. Porkchop!), but it will work to cool him out in.

Happy trails!

A girl can dream, can't she?

So, not much going on up here. We've had great weather for November, so I've been out riding as much as possible. I have the afternoon off from work today, so I'll be heading out to the barn as soon as I get home so I can ride outside in the daylight! That is quite a novelty this time of year!

Since I don't have alot going on, I have been up to no good on the internet. I have been doing some online shopping (for horse stuff, of course!) which I'll show you guys when it all arrives.

I've also been looking at horses online. Most of the time I do this just to try and keep current about what is for sale. Lately though, I have been daydreaming. Daydreaming about two of my favourite breeds and wondering what I will be able to afford or want to buy for my next horse.

Two of my favourite non-QH breeds are thoroughbreds and Canadien horses. There are alot of Canadien breeders in my area, so there is lots to look at. Although, I've noticed a huge decline in the number of horses available over the past couple of years. I also have tried to avoid looking up these types of horses as most of them are just too big for me. The average Canadien is about 15.3hh these days and most of them are well over 16hh. Since I'm so short, a horse that big just doesn't work. I would end up looking like I was in a kid's lead-line class! I know this for a fact, since the first horse I started riding as an adult was my friend's 16.3hh OTTB mare. She was extremely safe and easy to ride, but I just couldn't get comfortable or feel like I had any leg on her at all.

Yesterday I was looking up some horse web sites and came across a link to a breeder's web site. The first horse in their "for sale" list had me gasping!

Isn't he gorgeous??? Sigh...

A Canadien/TB cross (Bold Ruler and War Admiral back in his pedigree) - beautiful chestnut colour and expected to mature to 15.1/15.2hh! Wow. His barn name is Rusty, which I thought to be a nice little coincidence! :-)

I started to get a little excited and then I realized that there was no price listed AND the horse was located in British Columbia - the other side of the country. Whew! There is no way that I could buy a horse from that far away, so I didn't have to worry about that.

I can't stop looking at his pictures. I was back on the web site today, drooling over his pictures. I'm not sure why this horse has caught my attention so much, considering I tend to prefer coloured, old, broke horses! Even if he was located in the same province, I really have no busines owning a 3yr old horse of any breed. I just don't have the experience to train/ride well enough right now. So I have to keep telling myself not to worry, when the time comes to own my next horse, I will find something I like just as much.

Someone please tell me he is ugly and he has bad confirmation or something! lol

It's so hard not to dream though!!! :-)

Wordless Wednesday