I'm Still Alive...

 So I'm trying this new blogger post thing right now...so far unimpressed. Only upload one pic at a time now?! They should at least allow the "Ctrl" option so you can choose a lot at once...but anyway.

I haven't posted in a bit, school has been keeping my incredibly busy. I also don't feel very motivated due to the fact that I never get comments anymore...I'm doing this for myself now, I guess. I happen to know that people still read, and if you wouldn't mind commenting once in a while, that'd be great. No need to linger in the shadows.

Daisy and I have two events this upcoming weekend. Our last game show of the year is Saturday, and our first ever Trail Trial is on Sunday, to benefit Happiness House. Our club's ride time is around 10 o'clock. We'll also be there all day to run concessions and food...should be fun!

In an effort to prepare for the ride, I set up a vine obstacle like I once saw Lisa from Laughing Orca Ranch do. Daisy was definitely skeptical about it...after a few days of working on it, she went through relatively easily. I both walked her through and rode her.

I got Daisy's snaffle a few weeks ago. It's a loose ring double joined snaffle. I honestly have only ridden in it about 5 times because I've been riding more western to prepare for this coming weekend, which I'm riding all western. The few times I took her out in it went well though. There were one or two times where she tried to take off, but I simply pulled her in a circle and stopped her. The last couple days I've been working on her stop more. Going away from home, she can be going at a good canter, and with me simply sitting back and saying "whoa" she'll go to a dead stop from a canter. Unfortunately, going toward home she's not this good. Not at all. So I've been working with her on it, as well as asking her for different leads from a standstill like I did with Ladd at the show. She's good. :)

Lastly...I made the sweatshirt above on zazzle.com. You like it? :) I love it.

I also want to, at this point, reiterate how important it is to ride with a helmet for all you riders out there who think you're above it. A couple weeks ago, Jean's sister-in-law was on a horse simply walking without a helmet, and she blacked out, fell off, and fell on her head. She now can no longer be left alone at home and isn't herself at all. A week later, Jean was out with a woman on a trail ride, the woman on Bubba, and Bubba tripped, somersaulted, and the women came off. She was out for 3 mintues, and now has "paralysis" (sort of) in her right hand and it doesn't function correctly anymore. Granted, she had a helmet, and this all happened, but...if she hadn't had the helmet, more than just her spine could have been hurt. I know when I go to the game show Saturday everyone besides me who's over 15 and no longer legally needs to wear a helmet won't be wearing one because it looks stupid. 

You know what else looks stupid? Brain injury for not wearing one. So invest in a helmet people.

I've only had time to post today because I'm home from school with a bad cold.
Until I find time to post again,

Cavorting with Missy

Alright...I lied. I wasn't going to post anymore, but just after the last post these pics showed up on facebook, and...I need to share them.
This is me and my friend Lisa doing pick-up on her draft horse, Missy, that I rode Friday evening (this picture was from Saturday afternoon of fair week). (All photos by Gracie Seely). We had so much fun doing this...I was BOUNCING like crazy in the back but I stayed on :)

Then came ribbon race. I did ribbon race a few years ago on Daisy with Lisa and a different draft that she rode back then...so we did a replay ;). Daisy was funny. You can see it in the picture below...Missy was interested in making friends and Daisy sort of decided to pretend it wasn't happening "I'm just not gonna look. I don't wanna see it. I am not making friends with this horse!" x)

Ahh, the ribbon broke...but I let Daisy have the pleasure of racing back anyway :)

For real now, I'll talk to y'all Friday :)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Hello, dearest bloggers! I'm sorry it's been so long-didn't post not for lack of things to write about, but from lack of time.
Monday I rode the 5.2 mile block around the roads...because Daisy was really energetic. She's generally not exactly (...not at all...) a quiet ride, but that was extreme. So I figured she could use the work. She was such a good girl! She's great because we passed a lot of dogs and "scary" places and she was fine. The first house with dogs had three dogs running as close to use as their electric fence would let them. And Daisy stopped and looked at them, all alert, and out of the blue started to turn around. She doesn't turn and bolt. She just slowly turns around and starts to meander back home. Pretty amusing, actually ;). I think she likes me to know that she'd rather go that direction, just in case I wasn't aware :P. I turned her around again and she didn't object.

So the rest of the week was blah-like. Tuesday I didn't have time to ride. Wednesday it rained. Thursday it threatened rain, but Jean called to tell me that she was over at her sister's house, who is moving in about a 15-minute horse ride from me, all day working on the barn and that I should go check it out, and explore all over with Daisy because I would love it. Sooo...I did. :D

The picture below is (a bad one) of the arena with barn attached on the side left. It used to be a 6-stall barn, with stalls back-to-back and no aisle down the middle. 3 stalls were ripped out and now there's an aisle in the inside. Two more stalls will be built on that open part in the front of the barn in the picture.

The arena door was, according to me, painted shut (there was spray paint on the edges...I thought it was shut)(Now I realize spray paint can't be that strong)(I'm often dumb). So I didn't get the door open. Of COURSE it turns out, it was just latched on the inside. I couldn't get in with Daisy to open it because I'm told not to tie her to a tree with reins :P and there was trenching work being done on the outside edge of the barn and I didn't want to step her through it.

So this is the part where you get to laugh =). I got on my hands and knees and looked through the crack under the arena door.
Yeah, laugh. ;) I must have looked so stupid. It was worth it though. The arena is bigger than I expected, such a great size for a private barn, and has nice arena lighting. Oh yes. You read right. BIG lights! :D Soooo exciting.... :)
I can't wait. Jenny (Jean's sister) insists that I can ride over any time. I should probably ask if my 9am in summer is ok.... :P

There is a lot of work to be done to restore it all. But it's obvious that whoever owned the place before had the right idea, because it's so nice. There' s a nice big tackroom, too. Tomorrow I'll ride over and take a closer look around. Maybe I'll bring rope and tie Daisy. Jenny should be around to give me a tour... :D fun!

Besides the barn and arena, there's a big, green pasture...really beautiful. Jenny's horses (4, currently) will have such a great place. There's also a pond...
I really want to try swimming with Daisy. Badly. It looks like such fun. What are your thoughts?
Can it still be swam in if there's (snapping) turtles? What about leeches? :P
Picture below of Daisy by the pond :D

So this is my epic fail picture. Daisy rarely puts her ears up, so I wanted a picture when this happened...and didn't have time to focus and get her nose in :P so just imagine her nose is there.

Which brings me to....Sydney's contest to win a Level Rider. I would have put some pics in...but i forgot until now. And blogger is silly about adding pictures to the end of a post. (please tell me if you know how :P)
Thanks Sydney, for the contest and all your helpful comments!
See Sydney's post here to enter! It sounds pretty cool. Actually, seriously cool. Unfortunately, it does not come in an English saddle version. Luckily I ride two disciplines ;)

Just a Laugh...

People who own horses know that colic can certainly be something to take seriously...however, it's important to have a good laugh once in awhile, too. Enjoy :)

Sunday Stills Challenge: Rule of Thirds

This week challenge, "rule of thirds", meant that you take a picture with the subject anywhere bu the center...at first, I thought that was kinda weird, but I think I like rule; it's kinda neat...did I do it right?

This is my brother's dog, Sasha, a rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. She's been staying with us for a few weeks while my brother visited Germany. :)

Sunday Stills Challenge: The Open Road

I realize these aren't the most impressive pictures, however, I went far to get them ;-).

We have a fair going on in our town right now, and I took these on Friday evening at two different times while at the top of a Ferris-wheel type ride...I think I took the evening picture while the wheel was in motion, hence the blurriness... :)

That's one of the main intersections in our town...

I have more photos up of the "Umbrella Ride" at my other blog, http://lifeoutsidethebarn.blogspot.com

To see more roads all over the world, check out Sunday Stills.

P.S. I've posted my Sunday Stills on Saturday because I have a busy Sunday ahead of me, so I thought I'd put them up early. :)

WINTEC 500!

What could possibly be in this box? Hmmm....fragile....saddle...nope, haven't got a clue.

Just kidding. At approximately 1:47 PM on August the 20th a lone UPS truck drove up a certain driveway in New York State. Nonchalantly, the drive of the truck got out and heaved a large box (pictured above) onto the step of the house on this certain driveway in New York State. He then got back into his truck and pulled away. As soon as the truck was out of sight, and excited person ran out the door, dragged the box inside the house on the certain driveway, and shouted with glee!

Yes, I couldn't help myself, I had to do it in story form. OK, so on Saturday, August 16 my Mom, Gudl, ordered my first English saddle for me, the saddle I have been wanting and entering contests for since before I even had Daisy. Yes, this saddle is the amazing Wintec 500 with CAIR panels and an easy change gullet system, seat size 16.5 in. So today it arrived in the mail. Here is the inside of the box:

I bought my saddle off Ebay.com, it was sold by a horse supply company through Ebay, and it was a great deal. Normally the saddle itself costs $499.99. I got this AMAZING deal--I got the saddle (NEW!) WITH a Wintec elastic girth. And---

Wintec synthetic stirrup leathers.

And a wintec saddle cover.

And the Wintec Easy Change Gullet system (you can use this system in this saddle to adjust and change the size of the saddle to fit any horse).

Here is all the loot. Isn't the saddle beautiful?!? I got the pad from a friend of mine...

Unfortunately, the pad is too small, but that's ok...I can get another. :)

I'd ridden in this saddle before, so I knew it was good. I know it is synthetic, but that's partially why I wanted it-my other saddle is leather, but I wanted one I could ride in rain with, and just because it still is very pretty. I already took it apart and adjusted the gullet to fit Daisy, and bought stirrups, and took it out "for a spin"...pictures later, maybe...I just need a new saddle pad and a breast plate and an English bridle now...but seeing as I 'm out of money, that stuff will have to wait for Christmas (well, except for the pad :-P)
Altogether it cost just $499.99, a great deal, with free shipping. Isn't it gorgeous! I'll have to start riding and learning English now!!! :)

Silly Video

This video explains itself... :)
Sorry for my shaky hand, I was (slowly) walking down the steps as I filmed...

There Once Was-

-A Box.

There once was a little boy cat who made it his home for the day. He enjoyed it, as it was right by the door of a house. He slept in it, and was the doorman.

There once was a sister of the little boy cat. She followed her brother's role and played door-women while he went off to eat. She enjoyed it, as it was right by the door of a house.

There once was a sister of the little boy cat who played doorman and she stuck her head out while on-duty to see what was around...luckily, there were no intruders.

There once was a little boy cat who had a sister, and the two of them united and became an inseparable, clever duo, always on the lookout for intruders to the home.

Luckily, there were none.



(Uncle Gregor, this one was for you.)

Showing and All the Rest-AKA, Longest Post EVER

Sooo, I'm sorry it has taken me two days to update you, but as you watch the slide show, you will realize it was a BIG job to make it, as I got pictures from myself, from Jean, from Jean's mother, and from my mom. Thank you to all the people contributing pictures, I appreciate it!

So last week staying at Jean's started with the Stuart Horse Trials in Victor, New York, which Jean rode in. It was a BIG deal to ride in, and it was pretty cool to watch. It was a big eventing competition-in eventing you ride in three different parts: cross country jumping (jumps on a big course made of "natural" materials (trees, wood, indestructible fences), stadium jumping (jumps in an arena made of stands and poles that are more destructible and yeah....) and dressage, which is just a complicated riding on the flat (without jumping). Congratulations to Jean, she got SECOND! Bubba was just pretty much awesome, and it was all cool...

On Sunday we went to the game show, which I wrote about, so just look at pictures and that's all I have to say about that...

Monday was an open show, which I have no pictures of right now, and I rode Bubba in the morning. I rode him in an English Pleasure class, which is where you ride through your gaits and they focus on how the horse carries itself. Unfortunately, I was a little more in the mind frame that it would be easy, a piece of cake, so I didn't focus as much as I should have. When we went to go from a canter to a trot and then a walk again, he wouldn't stop cantering, he more like started galloping, and I was so shocked I didn't try hard enough to stop him, and they dismissed me from the ring ("Rider number 50, you are excused"). Well, that was disappointing. I entered the next class, English Equitation (same as English Pleasure, except they judge the rider's form) in walk/trot instead of walk/trot/canter, and we did better. That afternoon I rode Daisy in a trail class. There was a bridge that I had to walk her over, poles, a mailbox to ride to, open, and take out a paper and show it to the judge, a rain slicker to pick up and put down, a box to do a 360 in, and a part to back in. Daisy (in my opinion) did very well, but we only got 7th. That was ok, though, because the class itself was fun, and it didn't really matter to me how we placed. That night we did Western Pleasure and Western Equitation (like the English versions) and we placed 2nd in both...out of 4 riders ;-). Then we went home, late at night.

On Tuesday I rode only Bubba. I rode him in the same classes as the day before, and I got FIRST PLACE in the class I had been sent out of the day before! I was really focused on not letting him get away with me, and it payed off. We got third in Equitation because he was harder to stop the canter again toward the end, so I just stopped him messily, and that cost the ribbon, but the way I look at it, at least I got him to stop! That afternoon we did a command class, and we got third place.

On Wednesday, which there are pictures for in the slide, I rode Daisy. It was all just mounted games (relay races) and it was a lot of fun, a very laid back day. I don't feel like listing what we placed and what the games were, it's too much work ;-).

On Thursday was Western day. I rode Daisy. We got only 2nd in Western Pleasure and Western Equitation (out of only two riders, me and Daisy and a girl named Sam and her own horse, name which I have forgotten) because BOTH TIMES Daisy picked up the left lead when we were supposed to do right...she was having an off day, but it wasn't too bad, so I'm not mad at her (:-P) because otherwise she felt wonderful. We got first place in command class, though! For once her quick, even if they are a little messy, transitions came in handy, lol. We did a trail class again that afternoon, and she got 2nd with me, which is great.

Friday was THE MOST AWESOME DAY EVER! Although between the games I had such a bad eye (it happened on Wednesday, too...my eye must have reacted to something in the air and it burned horribly and watered) I still had fun, and just wore sunglasses a lot. First of all, Daisy is THE MOST AWESOME HORSE I COULD EVER WISH FOR! I had heard that Daisy had done VERY well in western games (barrels and poles) but I didn't know for myself. Well, I rode her in pole bending, and got a 2 second less time then Sam riding her grampa's experienced gaming horse, Joker! Daisy just whipped around everything like she'd been doing it and practicing forever, when in reality, I've NEVER done poles, and she hasn't done them in about 2 years! We won first place in pole bending! We also won first in stake-n-barrel. In that game there are two barrels, standing across from each other about 20 feet, one is empty, open can with a stake in it, one is a closed, regular barrel. You have to run in, grab the stake, figure eight around the second barrel, drop the stake back in the first barrel, and run for the finish. Daisy did great AGAIN! We got second in keyhole, with a time of I think 11 seconds (slow time, I guess). Keyhole is just where you run through the start cones and ahead on the ground is drawn a keyhole shape like on a door handle, and you have to run in, turn around without leaving the white lines of the hole, and run back...All in all, the day was totally fun, and Daisy seemed to like it, too. She was soooo sweet-waiting for the races she stood like she was asleep, but the minute I put her out there by the cones and asked her to gallop, she took off. She listened so well to me, and all I can say is, "Thank you, God, for giving me such an awesome horse!".

Well, I won't bore you anymore. I'm sorry this post was so incredibly long, I can't help it! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

5:49 PM

Long-Overdue Post

First of all, I have to make the usual excuse for not posting: It's summer, and I'm tooooooo busy....I'm sorry! This week up until Thursday my cousin Anika was here, and when Anika left on Thursday, my Uncle Greg came, and then on Friday my cousin Renie came, and ahhhhhhh, I just haven't posted. I'm sorry (again!)! Tomorrow we are seeing the musical, Wicked (YEY, YEY, YEY!) and on Tuesday Daisy is going to Jean's house, and on Wednesday I start "camp"-I'll be staying for 10 days at Jean's with Daisy, practicing for the show on Daisy and Bubba, and then next Sunday is an open show at the fairgrounds, on Monday is an open show at the fair, and the rest of the week I'll be showing at the fair. We will be getting a stall for every horse at the fairgrounds, and spending everyday there, then trailering them home to Jean's at night. I will try to post on Monday, but I guess I'm not promising anything. I did go and visit my brother, Markus, last weekend, and I still haven't posted the pictures from there, even though I want to. I tried to upload the pics to slide.com before, but it didn't work.... :-(

In the meantime, I leave you with this picture of my brother's new horse, Buck!!! ISN'T HE CUTE?! He is. :) Talk to you soon!

9:31 PM