conformation

June 2015 Conformation

Amanda4 Comments

I’m really happy with Tristan’s overall look right now. His weight is good, his summer coat is coming in shiny and healthy. The tone of his muscle – what little there is – is actually pretty decent too.

His head is still two sizes too big for his body, but some things we cannot change with diet and exercise.
Ditto his stubby pony legs on a 16hh horse body.
Still, all in all? I wish he had 2-3 more inches of height, but I love his build.
Now, let’s see if we can put more muscle on him this summer.

barn hacks · physical fitness (horse)

How Do You Tell Time at the Barn?

Amanda11 Comments

Most of us are living on careful schedules, trying to get to the barn and get what we need done in order to be home in time to make dinner, let the dog out, or at least see the husband/wife/kids before dark.

If you’re not on a schedule like that, then you’re almost certainly trying to plan your ride: maybe it’s fitness sets, a specific exercise that you don’t want to let go too long, or just a time by which you have to be out of the ring to make way for something else.

I’ve struggled on and off over the years with timing myself at the barn, and I’ve never come up with a really good solution.

Currently, I use a combination of two things: the clock in the indoor and a sports watch.

The current sports watch.
The clock at the indoor is useful: it’s semi-prominently displayed, large, and it lets me break up my work into rough five minute segments, or keep track of a longer ride. It’s not precise, though, and obviously it’s on the wall. I try to spend as little time as possible in the indoor during good weather, so that doesn’t help when I’m outside.
The sports watch is useful because it is water resistant, so I don’t have to worry about taking it off before bathing or hosing Tris down. It has a basic stopwatch function that can be useful for trot sets, except I have to keep looking at it constantly. The one pictured above is super-basic and cheap. I think it cost around $15. Its downside is that I have yet to find one that really holds up well to barn work. They tend to crap out after a few years – dust in the gears, just planned obsolescence, some combination of that.
For a time, I experimented with using my iPhone to track trot sets. I wanted something that was brainless, so I set up a series of staggered alarms for what I was doing. 5 minutes trot, 3 minutes rest, so on and so forth. It gave me a certain peace and worked really well, but it was a complete PITA to set up. That was before there were a lot of interval apps for the iPhone – hopefully something like that would be easier than setting all those alarms!
On the other hand, the iPhone was fragile and bulky to carry, so frustrating.
Anyone have a better solution? What do you use to keep track of time? What about timing fitness work?
2015 goals

Summer Goals

Amanda3 Comments

I didn’t make 2015 goals this past January, like I have for previous years. Too cold. Too tired. Too discouraged.

I’ve held off from making them throughout the spring, because I didn’t know what the situation was with Tristan’s foot.

I’m going to go out on a limb now and set a few summer 2015 goals.

1) Get back in shape. Both of us, for the love of little green apples. Able to once again actually ride instead of putter around. Ideally ready for a full lesson by August.

2) Be ready to show in the fall. There’s a small on-farm schooling show every September. I’d like to see if I can enter us in a Training test or two.

3) Volunteer more. I’ve teared up reading all the tribute posts to Seema Sonnad. What a rare soul. I love volunteering – just look through the tag here and you’ll see a million posts – and I want to make a commitment to do as much as I can this summer. I’ve already got one show on my schedule in August, but I’ll look for something I can do in July. I missed my favorite spring event at King Oak due to moving and being otherwise insane, but I can do better.

Uncategorized

What Would George Morris Say? Reviewing Wonder Woman’s Equitation

Amanda9 Comments
Lynda Carter (yes, that Lynda Carter) posted this on Facebook the other day, and a friend tagged me when he shared it. It’s apparently from the episode “The Boy Who Knew Her Secret.” Despite being a huge comics nerd, I’ve never seen the original Wonder Woman TV series.
The longer I look at this photo, the more I see.
On the one hand, the horse is nicely relaxed and alert, she’s got a nice soft hand on the reins, and she’s riding with a ton of confidence.
On the other hand, George Morris would have a heart attack. No hairnet, much less a helmet! Riding in tights (imagine the runs?!)! Gripping with the knees and tipping forward badly – no real depth of seat, she’s rocked forward on her thighs instead of sitting on her seatbones.
On the other other hand, as my friend pointed out, she’s an Amazon. She can do whatever she wants!
blog roundup

Weekly Blog Roundup

Amanda1 Comment

Here are some great blog posts from the horse world of the past week.

Blogger TPR Challenge from Cob Jockey
I LOVE THIS. It hits all my Pony Club buttons. Check out this post, and get ready to compete in the challenge. TPR stands for temperature, pulse, and respiration, and make sure to check out all the other recent posts explaining how to check each one.

The Leather Doesn’t Lie from Behind the Bit
Heh. Yeah. Raise your hand if you don’t rotate your stirrup leathers as often as you should…

Change or Move On from Confessions of an Adult Amateur
Suzanne has dealt with so many challenges with such grace. This is a good thoughtful read, well worth the time and reflection.

Lost Reich Chancellery Horses Found in Warehouse from The History Blog
Aaaaaaaah this is so cool. The horses in question are bronze statues commissioned by Hitler, and presumed lost since the end of World War II. Enter smuggling, subterfuge, and eventually, the good guys.

Riding Mentality from A Gift Horse
Considering your own mental state before you get on your horse is crucial, especially for us amateurs who are so emotionally invested in our own horses.

The Characteristics of a Ride and Tie Horse from Boots and Saddles
This made me laugh really hard.

house post

Every single wallpaper pattern in my new house

Amanda10 Comments

My new house was built in 1928, and it has a lot of classic, gorgeous features. I will share those another day.

It was remodeled in the late 1970s/early 1980s. It was a good remodel, with lots of money and lots of thought. The kitchen in particular is a work of art that I keep learning new ways to appreciate (even if it is a bit outdated).

The wallpaper, though…

So before I complain about the wallpaper let me say that the previous owners are lovely people, and the wife obviously put a great deal of thought and heart into choosing the wallpaper. It was professionally done, and the degree to which the panels line up and look great is astonishing. After 30+ years, it’s barely peeling.

But ohmygoodness, is it dated. And sooooooooo not to my taste.

So, here, a sample of every different pattern of wallpaper in the house.

handwalking

Heat Tolerance

Amanda4 Comments

I need all of you in southern climates to bite your tongue for a few minutes and try not to snicker too hard at us, ok?

It was 85 degrees yesterday – HOT! The sun was out, and the humidity was up a bit. Proper summer weather for the first time in weeks, maybe a payoff for the 29-degree late frost overnight on the previous Friday. (I take full responsibility for that, I had just planted herbs in deck boxes. Sigh.)

So of course it happened that, on a rare day off, I was at the barn at 12:30, right at the hottest part of the day. Whoops?

In fairness, it was actually a really good time to stop by for a lot of reasons. Tris was inside, and I always try to time my visits to the barn for when he’s inside so I don’t interrupt his turnout. There was a bit of a break in adult camp, which meant that while I groomed I got to listen in on the trainer demonstrating schooling half-steps in the passage and pirouette, and then heard her get feedback from another trainer who works out of the barn sometimes. Super cool.

Then we headed out to march up the hill.

Whoo boy.

Don’t judge me too harshly when I say that at the end of our walk we were both a little winded and sweaty, ok? I mean, it was like…a  mile and a half. In 85 degree weather.

Yeah, okay, you can judge me a little bit. Does it help if I assure you that it was all either up or downhill on a decent grade?

Tris wasn’t quite sweaty enough that I wanted to hose him off, but he did drink about half a bucket and I hung around for a little while longer to just make sure he was cooling and drying off fine. He was, of course.

I do like the hill walking routine for both of us, though. We’ll keep it up until such a time as I feel like I’ve gotten good answers from the vet and radiologist, and we can start under saddle again. The problem at this point is more that I can’t keep his foot clean while riding – any duct tape booties get shredded after one ride – so hopefully sooner rather than later he can go nekkid again, and conditioning will start in earnest.

dressage · jerkbrain · stupid human tricks

Adult Camp at the Barn

Amanda8 Comments

I never really went to horse camp as a kid. Not in the budget, really. I always wanted to.

My barn has an adult camp twice a year – a dressage intensive for older women who come, board their horses with us, get lessons every day and watch the other lessons, get their rides videoed and then analyze the videos over wine, learn about riding to music, so on and so forth.
I have hangups sometimes about the fancy things at my barn, which is that I just ride my horse and I love my horse and if he ever sets foot in a competitive dressage ring again it will be a pleasant surprise.
And there are a LOT of very nice horses at this barn, and they are aimed at Grand Prix, and they are purpose-bred, and they have a lot of money in their blankets and their tack and their vet appointments.
To be clear, the trainer, barn manager, owners, everyone, are the loveliest people and would never, ever judge or treat me differently. They know how hard I work with Tristan, and they love Tristan for who he is, which is all I ever ask. He is valued as the babysitter, as the level-headed sweetheart that he is.
But then people arrive and I get a pang and I think, I would like to spend the whole week in the company of these women, riding my fancy horse and drinking wine together and laughing.

And then I think, I can’t afford it.
If I could afford it, my horse would not be up to it – not even sound, much less at the camp level.
If I could afford it and my horse were sound, I would never be able to get a whole week off.
And then? If all the stars lined up? I’d still feel the outsider. Which is all on me, for sure.
So this is always a weird week for me, of being the ghost around the edges. Last night I got there after it was all over and walked with Tristan up and down the hill, and chatted with the barn manager and another lesson kid, and marveled at the new fancy horses in the stalls.
I guess I don’t have a point to this post, except that incoherent yearning, sometimes. I adore my horse. I am happy with the path we have taken together (well, ok, I could’ve done with fewer vet bills, but you get the idea). I don’t have the drive, the money, the time to follow that other path.
But, still. Still.
blog roundup

Weekly Blog Roundup

Amanda2 Comments

Here are a few blog posts from this past week.

Product Review: Equiflex Sleeves from Cob Jockey
Seriously bummed that this was a huge thumbs down. I love the idea of the product. Anyone else have experience with them?

Fashion at the IHSA Nationals from The Legal Equestrian
Attending & volunteering at the IHSA nationals when they were last in New England was one of the cooler experiences of my horsey lifetime. I like this overview because it’s a totally different world than typical showing.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others from Viva Carlos.
YES. Needed this.

Takes from the Trenches: An Epic Rant from Wait for the Jump
THIS. 1000X THIS.

Those weird colored horses from The $900 Facebook Pony
‘Fess up, you know you have a secret favorite horse color.

Myopia Hunt Club Spring Hunter Pace from The Maggie Memoirs
Gorgeous pictures, sounds like a really cool day! Myopia is a New England fixture and a piece of history; lucky to get to ride there!