Dragging a Groundpole...& All That Other Stuff

I can't remember exactly, either Monday or Tuesday of this week was "drag a ground pole" day. Daisy was just fine with it, and so I declared Wednesday to be "lets drag a barrel day"...and, basically told myself that if she took to the barrel without too much trouble, then I would go on with the training with the end goal being her pulling a cart. You can see how that all went in this video:

I didn't start with leading her and dragging it. I got right up on her back. She was fine with it until it ended up next to her (the "Ahh!" moment) and then she was a little wigged out, so at that point I got off and dragged it while leading her(cropped it out because of time constraints). Then I got back on her and kept going. I know it looks like she's power walking, trying to get away with it...she's not really. While I was riding her, it felt totally normal, like she was focused on the barrel and knew it was there, but wasn't really worried about it all that much, even when it dragged over loud stones. Also, when she trots, it's because I asked her ;) She's a horse with a naturally active walk; that's something I love, because I've always been one who can't stand lazy walking horses. I personally think she did really well with the barrel...she's a horse that doesn't spook and totally lose it. She spooks in stages that you can see coming; it's easy to prevent them, or at least see them coming, and it's easy to talk her off the ledge. She's sensible, and she doesn't get so caught up in spooking that she doesn't listen. I'm so proud of my mare :)

Do any of your horses poop in their water troughs? 

Well. I think Daisy was trying to get back at me for the work I've been making her do. She pooped in her trough. Two days in a row. I got to empty it, scrub it, and refill it, two days in a row. I moved it a foot sideways the second time it happened, and spent the lesson that day getting all her bucks and energy out roundpenning. Not sure if it's connected, but her trough has stayed clean since then xD. 

Friday and Saturday I rode her outside for the first time since I came to Jenny's. We rode out in the snow (about 1/2 a foot) and walked/trotted/cantered...she was having a blast, and so was I. I feel like the ground driving and ground work is forcing her to track up more...because she felt like she was tracking up the whole time we rode outside. She tried to buck out of sheer joy a few times... ;)

So. I'm a little torn, but I've decided I'll ask for a harness for Christmas...and I've been checking out simple EZ entry carts on ebay...you just never know ;)

Until next time,

Jumping Bubba Fair 2010 Video

I personally really love this video. I originally had "Superman" by Five for Fighting playing, but it made me too sad listening and watching :( Now looking back, I realize maybe I should have chosen a song that doesn't sing about beer...whoops. :P I can't figure out the way to use iTunes music in videos like this (made on Windows Movie Maker) so my song choices are very limited :-/

Anyway, watching makes me realize there's a good chance that that's the last time Bubba will have jumped a course like that, being judged (and 3 times at that)...*sniff* He was soo good. What a good boy he is. He's super-duper.
Anyway, enjoy.

Daisy, Bubba, and the Ladd-y Boy

Hey readers who I know exist but don't comment? What's up?
(Note: I don't care that much about comments...but I do like to know that people are reading. So like one time if you wanna let me know through a comment that you live in like What-The-Heck-istan and you read my blog I'd love to hear that. Thanks. :))

Quick shot of Daisy...she's not square though. I wanna try to get a level picture of her square.
ROAD SIGN! That was the exciting part of our week. New road signs were put up. Obviously by the picture below showing how close we are to the sign you can tell Daisy didn't really have a huge problem with it :)

I rode the 5.2 mile block in spurs this afternoon...should use spurs more. It was so great :)

Rode Bubba this morning. My mom took pictures and videos :)

He has a trot and canter that sort of forces you to flow with him...so sometimes I think I must look like I sort of squirm in the saddle, but...it's just his way of going.


Unfortunately, I have no pictures of me smiling on his back. :P So I look so forced and grumpy and focused...haha. Oh well.

I rode in the jump saddle because I couldn't find his dressage one...I like the dressage one better. :P I'm not used to the jump saddle.

My first ride on Ladd will be Tuesday when Jean can be there. :)

I absolutely adore this picture. The lighting makes it look great. I love that horse. :)

Alrightyyy....I'm off to bed. Last day of school Monday, plus three Regents the following two weeks...but basically...I'm free! :D
Evening game show (5-10ish pm) next week Saturday. :)

Watch 'er Go Video :)

It's done!
Sorry I added some extra, unnecessary stuff; I couldn't help myself. This was fun :)

And if you don't like the music, just turn the volume down. I just didn't want it to be silent in the back round :)
I like the ending, in case you want to know.
And if it says "still processing" check back a little later.

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 :)

January 6th Video Update (Tuesday

I didn't get around to uploading this until now...I'm apologize for my absence of posts.... :P
Sorry the video's a little long...

Sunday Stills Challenge: The Letter "C"

This week's challenge, the letter "C", was relatively easy...I just stepped out the door, looked around, and took "C" pictures...not good pictures, but the subjects do start with "C"...

My first one wasn't actually taken outside...this is my model of an edible cell.
No, I'm not enjoying Biology this year... :-/

It was pretty annoying to make...but there it is...it's a Cell, with a Cell wall and Cell membrane and Cytoplasm and Chloroplasts...lots of "C's" (in case you want to know, it was made with a brownie)

Each year, a place pretty close to where I live hosts the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials. All entrants to the event (which has included Jean for summer 2007 and 2008...at least, those are the summers that I went, too) receive a Cosequin bucket with merchandise...I got one of the buckets :) I love them. This one is pretty faded, but...another "C" for Cosequin (Cosequin is a VERY good, VERY expensive join supplement for horses)

Next "C": Cats.
Miss Genevieve tonight...a little bleary-eyed...

And cat number 2...Groenemeyer...who came home today sporting (for the first time in 2 years) battle wounds...wonder what animal he was hunting! :P his nose is scraped up, and so is his paw and the base of his tail...I put some antibiotic ointment on...he'll be fine.

And, last but NOT LEAST, I made a video of my CROSS COUNTRY jump schooling I went to last weekend with Daisy-Mae! Our first one!
I know, it's not actually a "still"...so that's why it's not the main part of the post. Feel free to watch it, if you're interested...and I apologize for the *terrible* quality, I'm not sure why the quality got so much worse after the video was saved on my computer... :-/...I'm not a tech geek, so it'll take a bit for me to figure that out... :(

Check out more subjects with the letter "C" at Sunday Stills!

Jean & Ladd

My 4H leader, Jean, and her new thoroughbred, Ladd, on Saturday.

Saturday, August 15th, Evening Game Show

Daisy and I went to another game show (Gymkhana) on Saturday evening! We had a BLAST. It was an evening game show, started at 5 pm...we finished I think around 9:30 or 10pm. It's been really hot here this week, so it was nice that it was a little later in the afternoon when it was starting to cool down. Daisy was great; better even than at fair, I think. We didn't actually win any great ribbons (so much so that I didn't bother to pick up the ones I did win :-P) but we had so much fun, and that's what counts. She was SO fast; watch that gallop back on the video up there! What a little race pony I have :-P. She LOVES the games; she really does. Unfortunately, I didn't have it filmed, but our cloverleaf pattern was great this time; normally we aren't that great at clover, Daisy doesn't seem to like it, and we end up doing the majority of it at a trot. Not so on Saturday! She kept up a good canter the whole way, a fast one, and even did lead changes. When we turned to race home, she went ALL OUT. She was hauling like crazy; I don't think she's ever galloped like that before! :-P

Be sure to watch her lead changes in the video up there, on our first line weaving :)...and I thought she'd never do that!

We Have Another Show!

Daisy and I went to a horse show about an hour away with Jean on Sunday and participated in English and Western combined pleasure/equitation, etc, classes. We got 2nd place in Pleasure! :D Out of a lot of people, so that was cool...and 3rd in command...we had to leave early, unfortunately, because of thunderstorms, so we didn't get to the barrel racing :-/...BUT I have another show on Saturday evening! I'm going to ride both Daisy and Sissy in the show so that should be fun! Plus, I'll still be in the same division, just ride twice each time, so I'll be beating "myself" on the different horses :-P

These videos show first the 8 horse trailer our club uses (the most we've used it for is 7 at a time) and the second is Daisy and I running Texas T in July at a show...we're kinda slow there...It annoys Daisy that she can't do Texas T without my help :P.

Jumping Daisy Bareback

Riding the Energizer Bunny

Hey!
Sorry this took FOREVER to post, youtube is very unreliable at times...I uploaded this video overnight, and it *apparently* didn't upload, and it said "Video failed to upload" and I checked my youtube just now and it was there X-(...anyway, :D at least it's on!

I love my blog because through it I made a great friend, who I've mentioned before, "I Love Jesus" (ILJ for short ;-)) and she came and visited me again last Friday! We went for a nice hour long trail ride through the snow; she rode Daisy, and I rode Bonita...Jean has me ride Bonita lately because she needs to be exercised...anyway, it was absolutely wonderful to ride and "chat"...afterward, ILJ taped me! Here's the video of me riding Bonita...she tends to be pretty energetic when you first get on...you can kind of tell in the video, and that's after a 50 min. trail ride! I look a little funny at the last canter because I was attempting to balance and "post" to her canter, to settle her down...anyway, enjoy. :)

Daisy's Away Again

Just Another Taste of the Concert

An Excerpt from Last Night's Concert

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Virtual Trailride Video

Saturday Game Show

Sooo, the show yesterday was fun...it started with keyhole. We didn't do so well in that because Daisy wouldn't turn fast enough...once I'm at Jean's again with her this winter we're going to work on Daisy using her hind end more because she uses her front legs more...anyway, the competition was crazy there. Most horses were flipping out when they got in the ring and they were insanely fast through the courses...I knew we wouldn't really win, but we had fun anyway! Cloverleaf went ok, but it wasn't that great...for the Can race (first video) we got 4th place because a lot of people passed the cans and didn't knock them down and you weren't allowed to go back...we got 4th place! I'd say 10 people total were entered in my division, so that was pretty good. Then we did ribbon race (2nd video). I was paired up with a girl named Jamie who was borrowing someone's horse for the show. She had never ridden the horse...it went well, as you can see! I think that was one of the most fun runs. We got 2nd place! Most people went SOO fast their ribbons broke or they let go or they didn't finish through the cones...we were good, though! The last class (no video) was command class. It was combined with walk/trot, junior, and senior classes, so I think there were MINIMUM of 20 horses in the ring. Daisy and I got down the the last 2! But then someone called out a complaint about counter cantering or something, and the announced went into a spiel about how all day people had complained and that the show as volunteer based and that they should try to plan a show so in the middle of the class they stopped the whole show they were so mad. Both Daisy and I and the other pair we were against got 1st place (tied) so I got a blue ribbon...that was nice to see because there were SOO many people in the ring and last weekend when we did command we only to 6th...it was great! AND the ribbons (4th, 2nd, and 1st) added up to Red, White, and Blue! :-P...

I'll post more pictures this afternoon when I get them from Jean's mom.....but right now this is an overview...Stay tuned for more!

9:43 AM

Jumping Miss Daisy

Bathing Bibbi---UPDATED!

I am now able to open the page with the videos, so I have embeded them below!

The top one is part one, the lower one is part two, of washing Bibbi, the chicken...check below for more info. Pictures of her all clean to come! :D