Random Videos

Just a quick posting of some videos of Miss from last winter/spring. The first two are from the jumper show we had at the farm last February. Miss and I ended up winning both classes over fences and we were the beginner novice champions.

This next one is from later in the spring last year, shortly before Miss started having her back problems. Schooling some bounces in the arena. Of course they really weren't high enough to keep her attention. Silly ADD mare!

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Stock Seat Dressage

Well this weekend brought two more great rides on the Pony. Friday night I stopped at the barn after work. I ended up spending about an hour with my horse child. Getting him all cleaned up and presentable. Well, at least as presentable as he gets in the winter. Dressed him all up in his slinky and blanket so he stayed clean overnight. I would have liked to clean his stall, but it was way too dark to dump manure out the back of the arena so it just had to wait.

Saturday morning, of course, was a bit on the hectic side with all the kids. Tammy came out to ride, and she brought her friend again. So she gave her a lesson on Kaye and I tacked up Miss. Miss is still looking really good, but she's back to not really eating. So we were hoping that a good ride would stimulate her appetite. I started her out on a lot of walking. Lots of circles and bending, getting her to work those back muscles. We did some trot work through the cavalettis and Bonnie put down the scary blue tarp. Eventually she put up a small vertical for us to jump. Took her over the fence about 10 times or so, and by then she was pretty tired. That's a lot of work for her, especially not being very fit right now. But she had fun, she loves being back in work. And she really loves when she gets to jump.

So Miss got put away and I brought the horse child out. X was just thrilled to have been blanketed all night, he really gets annoyed when he can't get dirty. Mainly because I think he likes being groomed so much. It's funny actually. When Miss first went to Dr. Morrow he gave us some exercises to do with her. Well one was to put pressure under her belly and get her to pick her back up. We could never get her to do it. Dr. Morrow could, none of us could though. We tried everywhere on her belly and nothing. Well I discovered that my horse does that one quite well. I was currying some of the gunk off him and I got to his belly. He just picked his whole back up and groaned. It was hilarious! Anyway, tacked him up in the western saddle again with draw reins and we headed out to the arena. Walked some circles, staying out of the kids' way. Finally we started to trot some and finally did a LOT of canter work. We did the canter into the wall, stop, change directions and canter the other direction. Lather, rinse and repeat. He really started to get back on his hindquarters and get collected at the canter. So yay!

I took my camera out with my Saturday and Ari was kind enough to film some short videos of us.

Saturday after we finished up in the barn, it was a quick trip home to get cleaned up and then out to the von Rintalin's for Maeve's going away party. Maeve was very surprised by the party. It was a good time all around. Good food, good company. If only Maeve wasn't moving away. I'm really going to miss that kid. She turning into a really good little rider. And she's such a help in the barn.

Sunday morning I was back at the barn. Bonnie and I cleaned stalls for a while. And then I tacked up the horse child again. Once again he went in the western saddle and draw reins. We had a really good ride. I took it pretty easy on him since we had done so much canter work the day before. But he was working in a nice frame. And he was on the bit and not resisting so much with his head. Yay! Still have that resistance when we go to stop. Which I know part of that is from me being to much on his mouth. But we're getting there. Slowly, but it's happening. So pleased with my little pony. And he's really starting to muscle up with only a little bit of work already. His neck is rock solid. And I can already see his shoulders and hindquarters starting to muscle up. He's turning into my little quarter horse impostor again. Bonnie said if the weather stays on the warmish side, she'll start doing a little riding. Including X. I know he'll just LOVE that. And now that Astrid is doing cyber school she's out at the barn several days during the week. I told Bonnie to feel free to use X for lunge lessons for her. It's a win-win situation for us both. X will get some additional riding time and he's a really good horse for the kids to lunge on. Once he settles in after half a dozen circles, he's very smooth and cadenced on the lunge. Easy to sit on and balance. So if I keep up working him twice on the weekends and he gets one or two extra rides during the week, he'll be conditioned and fitted up in no time. Plus, as soon as the weather breaks and it starts staying light a little later, I get back to going out and riding him one or two evenings through out the week. He was going so well when I was doing that before my little hospital stay. I really want to get back to that point.

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Snowpocalypse 2010

Well winter hit us again with a vengeance last weekend. But before I get there, I had an interview last Friday!!! Heritage Valley finally called me about the application I filled out. I took a half day from work and headed to Moon Township for my interview at 3. The interview went well I think. Only thing that might go against me is that I don't have any real employee relations experience. I mean I did things of that type at Borders, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, things like that. But I don't have the employee relations job title. So we'll see. They said they would be finishing up the first round of interviews the following week and I should hear if I'm called for a second interview in two weeks. So fingers crossed I get some good news soon!

Unfortunately while I was at my interview the blizzard started. At least it was still early yet and once I got off 60 at University Blvd the roads weren't too bad. Took my time getting home and I didn't really have any problems. However by the time I woke up Saturday we had about 2 feet of snow on the ground! It was insane. I was pretty much going stir crazy being stuck inside and not able to go out anywhere. Luckily for me Aunt Sandy and Uncle Ralph only live three blocks away. So when the show they had tickets to in Pittsburgh was canceled I walked down to their place and spent a couple hours there. Plus they fed me which was pretty nice too. By Sunday morning the snow had stopped but the roads still weren't real great. Dad came down with shovels and we dug my car out, plus shoveled a little path for me to the door. And then I ended up going out to the farm for a big. Jim had plowed out Bonnie's driveway for her, but I was still a little nervous about taking my car up Greenwood Road so I had her pick me up at Giant Eagle. As much as I don't like snow, I do have to admit the farm look very pretty. Chloe's new blanket had come in earlier in the week and so she finally got that. Chloe loved her blanket! She runs into the house and lays down before Bonnie can take it off of her. She's actually slept in it a few nights! So cute!

Anyway about 10 Sunday night I got word from Carol that Pitt was closed on Monday. Yippee! Seriously that just made my weekend. So Monday morning I ended up going out antiquing with Mom and Dad. We headed over to Ohio in the morning. Of course we had to start the day with breakfast at Cracker Barrel. And then we spent the day at the I-76 antique mall. Dad got a new meat press plus we picked up a couple of gifts. Good day though, I actually have a lot of fun going antiquing with Mom and Dad. Well then Tuesday we got another snow storm. About 8 more inches or so of the stuff was dumped on us. So Tuesday and Wednesday I was off from work as well. Tuesday I had to pick Mom up from work and run her out to the dentist. She was nice enough to take me out to dinner though afterwards. So that was a good time. Wednesday I pretty much did nothing. Which was actually pretty nice to not do anything for a day. I laid around and watched some JAG and Bones on DVD. Squalie-cat curled up on top of me in bed. All in all it was a good day. Sadly though I had to go back to work on Thursday. Luckily Dad was working 7-7:30 Thursday and Friday. So I rode into Sewickley with him and then caught the 16A into Pittsburgh. Glad I did that. Roads in Oakland were horrible. It was just snow covered and slush.

By Saturday I was desperate to get to the barn. I needed to ride my pony! The kids were all there and we were able to get a lot of work done. We got like 7 stalls clean and everyone rode. I got there early and spent about an hour grooming my little dirtball. I actually managed to get him relatively clean for once. And so I actually rode him! First time I've been on him in more than two months I think. I was cold though, and I didn't want to lose any of my layers, so I tacked him up in the western saddle and rode in that. I think he likes the western saddle now. Plus if he does anything stupid he has to work a lot harder to get me out of it. Not really worth the effort for him. I had a good ride on him Saturday. And then Sunday I rode him again. Two days in a row of good rides. I was really pleased with how he went. I think I'm going to get Ari to take video of him this weekend. Since I'm always on his back I really want to see how he looks under saddle.

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