Tired!

I'm not used to all this activity-I've been stuck behind a desk too long!
Here's a quick weekend recap:
Saturday:
I took Ginger down to the club grounds/ring in the morning. She was excellent. I led her down the road and was happy I did since there must be construction somewhere. Dump trucks, backhoes, cube vans, you name it, it drove by. Ginger needed time to look but did just fine. We had a nice little ride at the ring after that. I got to catch up with some old friends and Ginger got to meet some new ones. She's still a bit unsure about letting new people or horses in her giant sense of personal space, but overall she was a very well behaved girl and seemed to enjoy the outing.
Later in the afternoon, I went out for a trail ride to the lake with another boarder. We tried out a palomino Curly horse we named Sarge. He seems like a been there done that no nonsense sort of guy so Sarge seemed to fit. Sounds like the barn owner was given him when he needed a new home. Lucky for all involved as I think he'll fit in just fine and stay a while. Yesterday ended up being a lot more hours in the saddle than I'm used to, I literally couldn't keep my eyes open last night and went to bed at 8 o'clock :)
Today:
I was still dragging myself around this morning so I didn't head out to ride Ginger until later in the morning. I'm hoping she likes the new barn because she is a lot more friendly and relaxed this past week that normal. Today she ran up to the gate to meet me and stood quietly without being tied for a good grooming. We headed back down to the ring for a quick lunge and warm up ride. Liking how relaxed she was, I decided there's no time like the present and we headed our for our first trail ride. I'm proud to say she didn't put a foot wrong and just generally seemed to really be enjoying herself. We were all by ourselves, too. Who knew my anxious, sensitive little mare would take a liking to trail riding? I'm ashamed to admit up until last week I didn't have much faith! She packed me up and down hills and through rocks and puddles like she's done it a thousand times before. I couldn't have been happier with her and I think she knew it - she seemed pretty proud of herself for looking after me so well ;)
Since Ginger did all the work, I headed out for a hike after our ride. It's been the best weekend in a long time, but I think it will be another early night!

Blurry, but heres the photographic evidence of our trail ride:

Fitness Hike Day 2

Ginger was a total star. We huffed and puffed our way up the mountain and then enjoyed the scenery on the way back down. It was obvious she was enjoying herself and she was very brave with all the new sights and sounds. I think tomorrow after our ride at the ring we'll test the waters with an actual trail ride. Ginger is going to be busy this winter being a riding pony and a workout buddy too!

Checking out the view:

Fitness Program - Day 1

Since I'm home again I have a laptop - no more posting from my iphone at work. Which means you get to see lots more pictures and possibly some better spelling :)

Mr G got called in for a night shift last night, which means he needed peace and quiet this morning while he slept. The perfect excuse to head up to the barn!

I love this sign above the barn door, it's like they knew we were coming :)



Ginny was still picking away at her breakfast when I arrived. Silly girl has been a bit off her food the last few days. I'm thinking it's partly because we transitioned her back to hay for winter and partly the stress of the move. She's never been super food oriented and this is the first time I've had her in her own paddock, so her leaving hay may not even be that unusual - I wouldn't have noticed with the Lainey vacuum hanging around. Something to keep an eye on, though, since she is due for her teeth to be done/checked. They feel fine to me, but it's been a little over a year since they were done last. Shes quite happy to eat her treats so it can't be too bad ;)

I gave her a good grooming and took her for a walk down the road to the club grounds and ring. She was a bit upset to leave her new friends and was calling a little bit. On the plus side she barely paid attention to the scrap metal dealer and the multiple cars that passed us on the way.

She was a bit 'up' by the time we got to the ring - the horses in the neighbouring barn were calling back to her a bit and she was desperate to go meet them. We had to have a little discussion about who's in charge and a reminder to listen to me a bit more carefully. She lunged fairly quietly, partly because she was unsure in the new place and I really had to ask for forward, and partly because I suspect she's still a bit tired from the trip. I kept it very easy for her and gave her lots of praise, trying to give her a positive first experience there. All in all, not bad at all for her first adventure to a new arena.
Looking worried at the ring -also check out the fabulous part mohawk :(

We then made our way back to the barn via an old logging road that parallels the actual road to the barn, only up on a side hill. We had to go up a super steep and narrow trail to get up there and we were both puffing by the time we made it up. Its uneven and rocky as well, and poor Ginger had no clue where to put those big feet. I think in a way I was making it a bit more difficult, because after our discussion at the ring she was trying very hard to be a good girl and match her pace to mine.

I was  pleased with her because she did figure out very quickly how to put her head down and pay attention to the ground. It sounds so simple, but I've ridden more than one greenie on those trails that don't really 'get it' for a long time - they're too busy checking out their surroundings, and as a result, trip and stumble every time the ground changes. I was also very happy that those big Ginger feet tackled the rocks and stones without any soreness. Yay welsh cob feet!

 

 I'm glad I chose to take her out for a walk today rather than ride - it worked out really really well and I think it was a good way to introduce her to everything. I've also committed to getting out for a good hike every day and there is a ton of bear poop on the trails, so for me it's quite nice to have Ginger along for added security. Fingers crossed, the bears here are usually pretty timid and run away. I used to work as a park ranger and was responsible for monitoring all the bears in a park up north, so I'm usually a little more confident about keeping safe around them than most. There are so many around here it's kind of accepted you're going to see them in the more rural areas on a regular basis - and you'd better pick your fruit trees, otherwise they'll come visit you at home too! A couple of years ago I was out riding Lainey and one crossed our path and was a bit curious about us. I yelled at it, and it ran away, but the best part was Lainey pinned her ears and tossed her head at it too - I guess all the times it ran away before made her brave!

I've been offered rides in another young, but quiet horse at the barn as well as an older, been there, done that type. There's also Sadie, who I rode previously. She just had time off to have a foal, and is also young and green, but super quiet and sweet. So, if I want I can ride every day and the option to pony Ginger on the trails is there too. Based on today, though, I think we'll be fine - she handled all the new experiences better than most and seemed especially content once we got on the trail.



She's here!

Ginny arrived at noon today. Mr G and I went for a walk on the beach this morning and I was driving him nuts monitoring the ferry's progress across the water ;)
She hopped off the trailer looking pretty good after such a long journey. She settled right into her paddock and everyone was commenting on how quiet she is. I said just wait a bit, she's probably tired :)
The hauler said she was super quiet and well behaved and loaded well the entire trip. That made me feel better, because I was worried she'd be uptight and stressed. I'm going to head back up later this evening and give her a good grooming (5min trip to the barn now- so exciting!), then get her out for an easy walk around the new neighborhood tomorrow.
Her mane is a mess -she rubbed part of it out early this spring trying to reach for grass through the fence- it's now at the length where it looks like a mohawk :) I'll see if I can tidy it up a bit. It's going to be so nice to pop in at the barn anytime I want and not have to feel like I need to rush and get everything done all at once.

Embarrassing G by taking pictures of Gingers ferry arriving - such a touristy thing to do ;)

Patience is a virtue, right?

I'm sitting here at our house on the coast waiting for Ginger to arrive. She's coming on the ferry from Vancouver Island and we just happen to have a view over the water and the ferry route from our living room and deck. I'm getting our real estate dollar value today, peeking out the window every five minutes :) And what do I see out there? A sunny, but super windy day with big breakers at the shore and tons of whitecaps out in the strait. So either she comes later tonite or possibly tomorrow. It's a long route so there are only 4 sailings a day, barring any cancellations. It's a very large ferry, but they do still cancel sailings in high winds since a portion of the run is in open, unprotected water. So I must be patient. I wonder if horses can get seasick?

Good Girl, Lainey.

Lainey's lessee took her to a hunter/jumper show in Edmonton this weekend. I just got a message that Lainey and M took home 3 firsts, 2 fourths, and second place overall in the division.

I'm so proud of them both! Especially since this is their first show together and Lainey's first show over fences.

No riding for me or Ginger this weekend. I spent today packing, then tomorrow Ginger and I hit the road. Hopefully I'll be back in the saddle mid week - I'm having withdrawals!

This would be a nice picture of Lainey if she didn't have legs growing out of her neck ;)

Leopard Pony

It's the time of year where Ginger grows in her winter coat, which starts as a super dark bay. The best part is that her dapples grow in first, so for a week or two every spring/summer I have a spotted pony :)

Last Lesson

For a while, anyway. This is my last weekend here in Alberta/Saskatchewan and the weather is absolutely fabulous. The fall colors have arrived and the horses are feeling good. The mosquitos are gone, and Ginger and I continue to progress. It's all making me rethink my plans to leave.

I was pretty sad yesterday realizing this would be our last lesson with Trainer Girl for quite a few months. She's incredible, and I don't say that lightly. We are lucky to have found her.
I'm also sad to be leaving Lainey behind, even though I know she will be in excellent hands. I'll be looking forward to spring.

So, the lesson recap:
The people ahead of me were running quite late. Trainer girl is very good about keeping on time, but yesterday my lesson was about a half hour late. Ginny was already tacked and warmed up and ready to go. She was quite content to walk around for a bit while we waited, but quickly got bored and started looking for reasons to be silly. On a normal day, I would have just put her to work. Yesterday, I was hoping to leave some gas in the tank for the lesson. I played it wrong though, because come lesson time she'd managed to get herself in a bit of state and suddenly had boundless amounts of energy. The extra half hour of waiting around was our downfall, I think. It was good for Ginger though, because obviously in the real world things don't always run on time!

So, to work we went. Slow, steady tempo, proper bend around my leg, etc. Me, needing to relax my body a bit more. Be ready for what she might do, but trust that she won't, if that makes sense. I need to ride for the ride I want rather than doing damage control on the one I'm getting and trying to make it "pretty".

All in all, it turned into an excellent lesson. I think, as always, I needed the reminder about being able to ask and expect more from her when she's anxious. Give her a challenging task rather than boring her with easy ones. I still tend to back off a bit and try to get her settled that way. As Trainer Girl says though, I'm waiting for her to decide to relax rather than telling her how to relax. Both methods work, but one is obviously more effective (and it's not mine). Point taken. She didn't ever truly settle in, but hey, we had a fabulous warm up!

So, we leave on that note. We are off to BC next Sunday and will be left to our ourselves for a few months. Part of me is panicking because trainer girl won't be around to fix my mistakes. The other part of me knows Ginger needs a ton more miles and we'll be ahead of the game no matter how much I (inadvertently!) stray from trainer girl's plan.

I read somewhere recently that cobs don't really grow up until 6 or 7 years old. So there is hope she will magically mature in the next year or two and stop the teenage drama. I'm not holding my breath though ;)

All faded from the sun:

Back to Reality

After Saturday's excellent lesson, I was pretty keen to try for a repeat performance on Sunday.
I can now confirm that a good percentage of our apparent genius on Saturday was due to Trainer Girl's eagle eye and constant corrections.

Sunday ride recap:
The Good-
-Ginger was excellent while I groomed and tacked up. The barn was super busy and there was a crew in doing some upgrades to the indoor. Machinery and power tools were involved and Ginger was actually a bit ho hum about it all.
-We worked into the ride and had some very good moments at the end. A little more rusty feeling than on Saturday, but pretty close to great. I feel like there's hope that I can do this on my own.

The Bad-
-There was a "new" black barrel standing next to the gate. Ginny was sure it contained some kind of super nasty horsey plague.
-Things generally felt a little stiffer and more awkward and longer to warm up to. I know it was partly because she was a little less relaxed than the previous day, but mostly it was because I was not riding as well :( Which makes me frustrated with myself, especially because she is so sensitive and picks up on that little bit of extra tenseness from me and gets worried.

The Ugly-
-She spooked and tried to bolt off. Her mouth is super sensitive as well, so although I didn't yank, I was caught a bit off guard and was more firm than normal and she had a bit of a meltdown thinking she couldn't go forward :( The line is so fine, I swear. The same amount of pressure would be something Lainey would call a half halt.. So for a bit I had worried pony trying to do a very speedy trot, then overreacting to a very quiet half halt in a very big way. Leap forward at the slightest close of my leg, then essentially try to slide to a stop when I closed my outside rein that tiny bit.

We did get it sorted out at the end, and got some really nice relaxed work.  I have to remember these 'moments' were a pretty common thing a few months ago, and at one point affected us both for the rest of the lesson. Now it seems something we can work back out of fairly quickly - we have more trust in each other these days, I think. This is all new to me because I've always had horses that, if anything, need to be more responsive. Ginger can be most reactive horse that even some  experienced riders and trainers have seen, so I'm on quite a steep learning curve trying to find the right feel.
We ended the day with a quick visit to the hayfield for a treat, then I put her out with her friends where she galloped around like a maniac. Those big feet make it sound like a whole herd is coming! i tried to get photos, but it wasn't meant to be so you're stuck looking at an old (but cute!) one:

This is why I spend all that money...

Best ride ever tonight. For a good portion, it felt almost effortless. The lightbulb clicked on for me -almost every coach or clinician I've learned from puts great emphasis on controlling the feet/the four "corners" of the horse. And I've always thought, "ok, makes sense. I think I've got it, so let's check that off the list and move on." For the record, I've never REALLY had it until Ginger. I think I probably made it work, made it look ok, but it was HARD and always involved a lot of work on my end. What I learned today: it can and should be easy. And once you truly have that softness and control combined, it feels like anything is possible. What a rush. Serpentines -sorry, but today we owned you. You too, Leg Yield. And Shoulder In? Got ya! Slower/Faster? No problem!

Since it is getting close to the end of my lessons with Trainer Girl for a while, I'm starting to get some homework assigned. I'll start keeping track of my homework here so I can be held accountable if I don't follow through with it!
-Work on sitting absolutely straight. Suggested exercises:
1. Sitting trot, no stirrups, serpentines. Collect and bend through the corners, extend through the straight sections. 2. Alternate sitting and posting trot, focusing on keeping my body as even while posting as I have to to sit properly. Focus on this as I progress through canter.
Secret weapon : Ginger is so sensitive, she is excellent at reminding me when I am crooked.
-Keep my hands even! I have a bad habit of dropping my left hand down and forward- which twists my shoulders.
Secret weapon: Again, Ginger lets me know. She also likes to tell me when I pick the wrong diagonal. Thanks Ginger!
-Ginger, continued work on that left flexion, which is the stiffer side.
Suggestions: Circles, leg yields,spirals, shoulder in.
Secret weapon: After Lainey, this feels pretty easy on Ginger.
-Canter! It's too wild and scrambly still. This will be tough to get 100% because it's not the best canter naturally.
Suggestions: The above work at the trot to get my body more balanced and effective so I can help her out a bit more. I need to be able to sit whatever she throws at me completely level and even while asking for more forward from behind while still keeping her shoulders up and square. If I get off center, even slightly, she panics a bit. Secret weapon: Again, Ginger. If I ride correctly, she will usually go correctly.

Looks like most of the homework is for me. Right now, I'm the loser partner that Ginger has to pick up the slack for. Good thing I pay the bills ;)

2 weeks

Until the big move back to the coast. I'm happy, excited, sad, and anxious all at the same time. My focus and therefore productivity are at an all time low. I do have a lot of half read books sitting around, a lot of half done projects at work, and even some half eaten dinners stashed in the freezer ;)Even Ginger just got the one ride this past week.
I am super excited to be heading back to see all my good friends, and most importantly, G. It will be good feeling to walk through the front door of our house after so long away. I am also happy to be getting a break from my work. Although I like my job and coworkers, work has been too large a part of my life for a while now and I'm feeling the burnout.
I'm looking forward  to seeing how far Ginger and I can progress this winter. Finally, I will have time, and lots of it, to spend at the barn!
I'll be sad to leave my new friends here, and especially sad to leave the barn I'm at even if it's just for a few months. It's a good place, with good people, and we all know how hard those can be to find! I'm going to miss my lessons.

Goals for the winter:
-Get Ginger out on the trails, and out to a few clinics.
-Get Ginger more time over jumps. Need to have her ready for shows and events next spring.
-Less time at the gym- more time hiking, biking, riding, etc
-Back to having my own kitchen = more cooking, eating better and spending less. I want to be a thinner, fitter version of me!
-Lots of time with Mr G :)
-Would like to travel a bit too. We'll see what the time and budget allows there.
-Find a horse trailer!

We'll see how it goes. I'm really enjoying being able to move around - it makes me appreciate the good things about each place that much more, although the long distance relationship thing the last year or so has been hard. We're coming up on 7 happy years together, though :) I'm extremely lucky and I know it.
Google earth says this is about 22 hrs of driving/sitting on a ferry: