Ribbons/Trophies/Plaque, and Eggs

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Just a gorgeous pic I took of Daisy on Tuesday morning, at the same time that I took the video (see post below this one!!!!)...isn't it a great pic of her? I'm sooo happy that she looks so shiny, and fit, and even her socks (the white on her legs are called socks) are relatively clean. Too bad she has her fly mask on...but I still like it! :)

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These are my ribbons, plaque, and trophies! I had a few people ask for a pic of them...I think you meant with me, but I didn't get that to happen, so I just got a picture of the stuff itself...

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Soooo, this is the plaque (or, as 4H calls it, a revolving trophy). It was started in 1996 by the Heads Up 4H Club (as it says). They mad the original board and top plaque, and put all the small plaques on it, and the idea was that every year the winner of the Junior, Western Command Class would get the trophy, engrave their and their horse's name (as well as the year) on it, and pass it on to the next year's winner. I won it for this year, and I found that the person from last year hadn't filled their name and horse's name in! SO, I'm hoping to find out who it was, put the info in, put mine in, and keep it, because my name would be the last one-it's the last empty space! It's really interesting to read the names of the horses, and people, and think that when I was still really little, that trophy was started! I like the idea of it...

Now, I'm posting this because I wanted to show what the eggs in the last video (see below post!) looked like after I washed them, because they looked pretty gross and unloved sitting in the box :-P. Don't they look nicer now? There were a dozen altogether, but two of them ended up having weak shells and breaking, so Abby (our dog) got them with her dry food for dinner. :) It gives her a shiny coat. :^)

9:30 PM

Chicken Coop/Daisy Video

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

Camp Experiance as of Today

Sooooo, I figured I'd update you.

Jean rode in the Stuart Horse Trials in Victor, New York, this past Thursday and Friday. That's really cool, because only "top-notch" riders get to go, and she got to go( for the third time!). It runs every year. It's just eventing-Dressage, Cross Country jumping, and Stadium jumping. She won SECOND PLACE!!!!! The horse that beat her had cost $100,000, so figures, right? ;-) Pictures on my mom's blog, http://cdgagudl.blogspot.com.

Yesterday we went to the fairgrounds for an open show (not hosted by 4H, though). It was pretty much just games and barrels. I was going to ride in them all-Sit-a-Buck, Flying W, Texas T, Pole Bending, Cloverleaf barrels, Keyhole barrel.... The first thing was Sit-a-Buck, where you ride bareback and supposedly sit on a dollar bill, but we just used papers. You have to ride around and do walk, trot, and canter and not lose the bill. I got 2nd place!!!

Then I did pole bending, which was with a saddle. You have a row of poles (I'm not sure how many...10?) and you have to run straight down past them, weave through them back down, weave back up, and then run straight to the finish line. It went ok, except that Daisy was getting really excited and ended up skipping one pole, so we had to go back, and so we got 4th place. Then it POURED AND POURED AND POURED rain, and Daisy was miserable (she was dripping wet...she was such a little trooper) and so we went home, because of thunder and lightening, so we didn't get to finish the race.

Later we went back and set up our stalls for the fair, and we made an awesome sign with our club name for over the stalls...I'll post pictures probably early next week...

That's it for now! Today we have another open show, hosted by 4H, and I'm riding in it...doing a commands class, where you ride and have a matter of moments to switch to the gait which a caller yells out...fun, fun, fun!!

8:01 AM

Visit to My Brother's Place

So, I know this is totally overdue, but I'm going to post about my trip to my brother, Markus's, house. He is living with his girlfriend Kristin and her daughter, Savannah. They have 4 horses-Sunny, a Tennessee Walker, who gave an unexpected foal this spring named Lightning, Bob, Savannah's paint pony, and Markus's own, new horse, Buck, a buckskin quarter horse. They also have 4 dogs-Sasha, Markus's (lively, but REALLY FUN) rottweiler/German shepherd mix girl, Jezabelle, Kristin's sable German Shepherd, Bandit, an Australian shepherd originally bought for Savannah, and their indoor dog, Toby, a Pomeranian mix, I think. They live in a cute little town, and it's strange because when we pulled up, I didn't think it was the place, because it was right by/inside the village! But behind the house is the horse's pasture, and it feels like you're in the country...I guess you are. Anyway, the slide show is of our (my cousin Anika and my) visit there. We got to ride the horses, visit some other horses that are near them, bath and play with the dogs, play with Toby and Savannah, everything. Thanks SOOO much to Markus and Kristin for letting us come! It was a great time!

BTW, the "horses on the hill" in the slide show, and Ratchet and the baby, are not Markus or Kristin's horses. They are boarded at the place M. and K. used to board at. The horses graze on a BEAUTIFUL, big hill and it was just gorgeous out there, with all the black and white paint horses. The goats in the pictures are from the same place, and they were really cute, too! I have noticed that goats are very photogenic.

I know this post isn't Daisy related, but I decided to let it slip...sorry if you don't find it that interesting! :-/

9:37

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

Tagged!-SONGS

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

Songs

1. Maps-Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
2. Viva La Vida-Coldplay
3. Speed of Sound-Coldplay (the song on the last slideshow)
4. Here I Am, Send Me-Delirious?
5. Supermassive Black Hole-Muse
6. For Good-from the Wicked Musical, which I'm seeing this Sunday (YEYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), by Stephen Schwartz
7. Map of the Problematique-Muse

I tag, umm.... My penpal, Alli, and everyone else who would want to do it, I think, is tagged....If you do want to do it, consider yourself tagged by me! I will do a real post tomorrow or Thursday, to catch you up.

Evaluation Day

Hey! Evaluations were on Wednesday, and first off, they went very well. You may have seen some of these pictures on my Mom's blog, but I'm showing them anyway, in case you haven't.

My cousin, Anika, and I went to Jean, my 4H leader's house, on Wednesday morning. We cleaned the stalls (along with the other 4H-ers, Oliver and Jessie, and her sister). I rode Daisy around and barrel raced her a little, which was fun and I think she'll do very well with that once we get back into it a little, and then we worked a little on sitting trot and cantering. Then I tacked up and rode Bubba, Anika rode Daisy, Oliver rode his own, sweet little Morgan pony mare, Bella, and Jessie's sister rode another mare there, and we all went for a trail ride. Bubba was pretty good, except when we had to ride toward the back of the line of riders, then he started to get pushy, but it was alright. I rode him a little in the indoor, and he was great. Normally he's very strong and it's hard to get a good handle on him, but Wednesday he rode very well. We untacked, and Anika and I gave Daisy a bath, and all the horses got baths. Ate lunch, cleaned tack, got ready for the evaluations. We trailered Bella and Daisy there first, all tacked up, and when we got there Jessie rode Bella and I rode Daisy first. I got evaluated by a very nice young women who was quite kind, even though Daisy's trot to canter transitions were VERY sloppy, and my hands were "flamboyant" when they should have been lower to Daisy's neck. We passed though. We had to walk, trot, canter, halt, and back up for the judge, and then answer questions like how to pass around a horse in certain type quarters, and how to behave around a horse.

Then we brought Daisy back while Anika stayed with Bella and we switched for Bubba. Tacked him up, brought him there, and I rode him. I did (sadly, lol) better on him then on Daisy, but I credit it to the fact that he's a bit better trained (ok, a lot better trained) on leads and transitions, and complicated stuff like that. It felt wonderful to ride him and I think I rode him the best ever that night. Oliver, Jean's son, rode Bella for his evaluation (he and Jessie got evaluated for just walk/trot) and then they trailered home. It was a fun night.

Daisy came home yesterday morning, and Anika and I slept in the barn last night...except for a certain horse waking me this morning ;-) the night went well. :)

Tomorrow Anika and I are going to visit my brother, Markus, and his "family" and animals, so I'll be back Sunday night.

3:35 PM

Remember you can ALWAYS press the + and - signs to speed up and slow down the slide. The captions aren't anything special this time, so that's why I allowed myself to add the song, which kind of covers up the captions.

Daisy's Mini Vacation

So, yesterday afternoon Daisy got picked up and taken to my 4H leader, Jean's, house. She was in the trailer for about an hour and a half as we had to make multiple stops before we got home. She did awesome! She went right on the trailer with me, and she got off good, too! She would stop and whinny at all our stops, which included a bank, the 4H office, tractor supply and blockbuster. It was so cute! Here you see some pics of her on the trailer and at Jean's.

I rode her while Jean rode Bubba on a 4 1/2 mile block in the rain yesterday. Today I rode her for about an hour in the indoor arena that was just built, and around 40 minutes on the trail. In the arena I did some barrel racing, and first she was slow and lazy, but I got the crop and smacked her a few times ;-) and she did much better! She's quick and she turned really nice around the barrels! Tomorrow are the evaluations, so I'll probably post tomorrow or Thursday and let you know how they went.

9:32 PM