Book Review: Making The Running

For some reason, I've been stuck on 'serious' horse books for a few weeks now. Fitness, training, even autobiographies. Dressage, eventing, even a reining book. All are guaranteed to keep me somewhat entertained before bed, but not "Whoa, it's 2AM and I have to work in the morning!" entertained.

So, I was happy when Hannah Hooton, the author of "Making The Running", asked me to review her new fictional 'racing romance' book. (As a side note, I don't often review the horsey books I'm reading, but there are a few on this blog now - would anyone appreciate me consolidating and adding them under their own tab? Much work, but anything for my wonderful readers ;)

And, back to the topic. "Making The Running" is another story set in the UK steeple chasing scene. Don't let the fact that it's book 4 of the Aspen Valley series intimidate you, it stands on it's own perfectly well. I even heard a rumor the first book in the series "Keeping the Peace" is currently free for download at Amazon, if you do want to start from the beginning!

As with the other books in the series, I really appreciated the author's writing. The story line isn't attempting to be super deep or meaningful, but in my opinion, that's a good thing. It's keeping on the right side of refreshing and fun without being trashy or unrealistic. All of the characters have their personal problems and dramatic moments, but there is an underlying sense of humor to it all I really appreciate. The writing is what really makes these books stand out from the rest of the adult horsey book series you see. I like Natalie Keller Reinert's books for the same reason - both authors seem to be a step above the rest as far as being able to create vivid (and believable) descriptions and conversations, although I find Hannah's books much more humorous.

"Making The Running" is probably my favorite since "Keeping The Peace". She's created a likeable and funny protagonist that would be hard not to root for. I wasn't as keen on some of the other characters and plot lines in this particular book, but I did love the horses, who all get their own character. I'm admittedly not super familiar with the racing scene in the UK, but all the horsey details felt right and well researched, an accomplishment in itself! As I said in a previous review I'm not normally a reader of romance novels, but I think it bears repeating that these aren't typical. I'd hesitate to really call them romances beyond the fact that most of the characters get a happily ever after in love ending, and who can fault that? The only real fault I found is that I was up until 2AM reading :)

Final verdict: If you're looking for something well written and fun that has some likeable horsey and human characters, check it out!

The disclaimer: The author provided me with a copy of her novel in exchange for this review. That being said, if I honestly didn't enjoy the book I wouldn't recommend it here (and would have likely chickened out from posting any review at all. ;)

Link to the Amazon Store here.

Moving Forward

I took the big mare out by myself today. It went well, and was probably one of the smarter things I've done recently. How was riding alone on a spooky horse you're not overly brave on smart, you ask? Here's the story.

Ginger was on her worst behaviour. Spooky, quick, and looking to tune me out and focus on anything but her rider. I kept S's advice in my head and just rode her like I ride Bridget on a bad day. Bridget is capable of being just as naughty, and I always handle it just fine. There is no reason it should be any different with Ginger - it's just my stupid negative self talk that tells me I can't do it.

Again, no photos from the day so you get some older ones to break up the text wall

Was it perfect? No, but there were a lot of really excellent moments. Since there was no one there to tell me what to do. I had to keep a level head and just ride through it and make what I wanted to happen, happen. There was no G on the sidelines - much as I love him, he worries about me on Ginger and I tend to ride passively in an effort to not pick any fights and get anyone worried . So, today, for the first time ever on the big mare, I just sucked it up and really rode. I picked a fight or two and the world didn't end. I didn't make compromises. I didn't pick the easy route for either of us. I made mistakes and she had to deal. The lightbulb moment? By focusing, taking charge and riding as confidently as I am capable of doing (a la Bridget), I never once felt unsafe or out of control. Instead, I felt a step ahead of the game. This is of course, a common sense approach for just about anything in life. Being proactive is a good thing! But try telling that to anxiety brain. Not easy. I'm hopeful that now I've pushed myself and done it once and it felt good, it will get easier and easier and the fear based stuff will go back into hiding.

To top it off, I took the pony on a trail loop to finish. Again, much drama and much forward. For whatever reason, I'm much braver on the trails, so this is a good strategy for us. Our west coast trails are mostly narrow and a bit technical, so bad ponies are essentially funneled forward and are forced to watch where they put their feet. As a rider, you just need to let them get on with it. Ginny is all about the forward, so she tackled bridges, creeks and mud holes with only a little hesitation, Of course, she's seen it all before but it's been literally years since I took her out anywhere alone. I'm proud of her for mostly keeping her head, and proud of myself for being brave enough to just stay out of her way, insist on forward, and trust her to get us where we were going.

Rome wasn't built in a day, so of course we will still be working on my confidence and Ginger's issues with focus for a while yet. But for the first time, maybe ever with this horse, I truly believe I can do this without a serious intervention or a ton of hand holding:)

(Nearly) WW: Shhhhhh

We're sleeping!

I suspect Bridget was supposed to be lookout. Never trust a lazy pony to be lookout.

Ginger was snoring, as was her buddy

Bridget was furthest away and the only one not totally comatose when I arrived. 

Oh hi Ginger

"OK, I'll get up if you insist on taking pictures while I'm sleeping". Except next she just rolled over and laid down again.

I'm flattered they all just slept on and let me wander around taking pictures. Guess I'm not as untrustworthy as Ginger would have you believe :) I made Ginger come in for a spa day, check one of my goals off the list, pony beard is gone and we have a bridle path and neatened mane and tail.

Pretty girl

                                              

Feb Recap/March Goals

I'm a bit late with my recap, because honestly, there isn't much to recap since I didn't set any big goals beyond my own health and fitness. Also, February is a dumb month with only 28 days. I need 31 at least ;) I rode and exercised regularly, I ate somewhat responsibly, but at last check my weight remains the same. That's OK, though - I'm feeling good, and so are the ponies.

I just like this recent picture of Ginger because it looks like it could be a peaceful summer day!

It's the time of year to start setting regular riding goals so here are some for March:

Self:
-Eat well.
-Exercise 5x a week. Walk min 10k/day on varied terrain or run/walk 5k.
-Ride min 5x a week.
-Be proactive about tackling my remaining hang ups re: riding Ginger - expand the comfort zone!
-Remember to be patient.
-Try to think more positively and confidently about myself and my riding skills. Recognize the negative self talk
-Housekeeping - budget for new boots (ordered them today!), sign up for remaining club memberships for summer riding activities and shows

Bridget:
-Weekly lessons.
-Improve canter departs and distance she can hold the canter
-Related to above, continue to work on pony`s overall fitness and willingness
-Tame the mane
-More trail rides, less ring work. (Find her happy place)
-Front shoes?
-Better trailer loading. She`s fine, but not as confident as she could be.

Ginger:
-Weekly lessons
-Survive clinic mid month
-Tame mane, beard, and tail
-Get her out and about (for the clinic plus trail rides)
-More tools to address lack of focus/spookiness/confidence.
-On that note, sign her up for the extreme trail cowboy clinic in April.
-Unhappy with her feet again - I need to be strong/assertive and discuss necessary changes with farrier at next visit. Or use Bridget`s farrier. Who does a really good job, but Ginger hates. And who isn`t `the barn`farrier. Sigh...so much drama.

Lucky

I'm so lucky to have such amazing blog readers - thanks so much for the comments on the previous post. Fear is a funny thing, but currently I am more excited than nervous about getting Ginger back out in the big world!

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have an invite to trailer in with a friend to meet up with a few more friends at our equestrian club grounds, with a trail ride to follow. This would have course been the perfect time to do a test run with Ginger, but I opted instead to take Bridget and see if the vastly bigger ring would make any difference in her efforts as far as the canter goes.

Bridget is ready to tackle anything

 And it did! A bit anyways. We cantered our first entire circle! Never mind that it was about 100 feet in diameter - we did it with no trot breaks. Of course everyone was ohhing and ahhing over Bridget's canter and giant trot and were in love with her cuteness. I'm not sure they realize just how hard the baby pony is to ride at the moment. We may or may not have sacrificed bend and contact the majority of the time, and our circles were more like giant eggs, since she was quite looky and spooky - but at least we had forward!

After that, we ventured out for a nice trail ride in the sunshine. I don't want to jinx anything, but we've had a couple of weeks now of mostly stunning weather. Warm and sunny all day, and only slightly below freezing at night. The grass is growing like crazy! Yesterday was no exception and I was comfortable in a long sleeve tee with a light vest over top. It was a treat to get out with friends, and we did even more cantering and even a quick gallop - Bridget was game and I think she'll be fine as my back up ride for the clinic.

Stopping at the top of the hill after a quick run.

The focus on my camera phone insists we only want to see Bridget's ears.

We're going to trailer Ginger in to the same ring next weekend or early next week and stay til the following weekend's clinic with a friend just a little bit up the road. The clinic is in the indoor arena and I'm not sure Ginger's been in one since our Alberta days - I figure a ride or two in there ahead of time will be time well spent! Also, a longer outing and a trailer ride there and back is about as close as we're going to get to simulating an away show for the big mare.

This guy is for sale and I want him! Why? Because he is the last foal from Ginger's dam and shares Bridget's sire. I've always joked about the perfect pony being a cross between Bridget and Ginger - this is as close at I'm going to get! 

All In A Muddle

This morning's lesson came a bit early for me. I was travelling yesterday and felt a bit run down when I got up this morning. Luckily, G volunteered to come prep the horses if I would buy him a coffee and a donut.  My groom works for cheap lol.

The lesson started with some ground poles. Long term readers will know Ginger and I have had some interesting times when there are extra items in the arena, so you can imagine the look on Ginger's face when she saw this:

Circle of death with a penalty box square in the centre.

S was present on the sidelines for Ginger's epic meltdown over a ground pole a couple of years ago that ended in me having a bad fall. She knows my fear is real. She was quick to offer to start out on Ginger and take her through the poles a few times. I happily accepted. And Ginger happily set out to prove to us that she is now a big girl and the boss of all the things! Seriously, she was wonderful and made it look easy and after not too much time at all, S was cantering a pole here and there.

Today you just get a bunch of recent randoms of Ginger that I (probably) haven't posted yet,

Midget, on the other hand, had a meltdown. So discouraging after our productive trail rides this week. Forward was again a huge issue, as was bending. We got it done, but the pony had her ears pinned and her nasty face on the majority of the lesson. Not exactly fun for anyone!

We switched up and I rode Ginger and had a decent ride. I'm still struggling with tension and not having the right 'feel' on her - I want to be too passive. S encouraged me to ride Ginger "like you ride Bridget!" which was exactly what I needed to hear and we had some better work at the end. And we totally kicked that pattern's butt and had fun. Goodbye, pole phobia! I've been feeling a little down about my riding so it was nice to have a big (for me) win.

After talking with S about the upcoming clinic, she encouraged me to take Ginger rather than Bridget. Her logic was that I'll learn more on Ginger, could use more help with Ginger, and will have more fun on her. Ginger is the more established horse and the one that could benefit the most from fine tuning. She is worried Bridget is still green and there isn't much a pro is going to be able to teach that we aren't already working on. Bridget is also so hot and cold she also might not bring her "A" game on the day and I'd be paying a very large sum of money to put on a demo of what a very stubborn pony looks like. 

 Logically, I know that all makes sense, but I've been practicing so much with Bridget I'll admit to being super disappointed about S's thoughts re Bridget not being 'at that level' or even worse, possibly not putting in an honest effort for me. It's not that I don't think she's right, it's just discouraging that it's not just me thinking it! We're going to keep playing around with some ideas to try to get Ms Bridget convinced ring work can be fun, but for now I think she is right in worrying a clinic with Bridget isn't the best use of my dollars.

So that leaves me scrambling a bit mentally. I wanted to take the easy way out and keep the fear demons at bay by bringing Bridget. I'm starting to feel fairly comfortable again riding Ginger in my own little bubble, but the big bad world still feels a little intimidating! Since we need to trailer in and spend a couple of nights away from home, it would be all around just easier to bring the laid back and adaptable Bridget! S is right though, Ginger is the one I need to 'cowgirl up' and take if I really want to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm anxious, but pretty excited at the same time.

Energized

Little Ms Bridget was pretty 'up' today for our ride. There was much spooking and silliness. I think my higher energy feed switch is finally hitting the pony brain, or maybe all our galloping the other day made her realize forward can be fun! We had decent effort with no rider nagging on the way out, and even cantered a bit on the way to the trail head. That is basically unheard of, but I love it and would be very happy if her energy levels stayed where they are.

Happy to see her friend. Also, we've worn a trail in the grass from all our outings.

Our buddy for today is all about slow and careful, so after we met them it was mostly a walk ride with a little bit of trot. I was proud of Bridget because we opted to trot side by side up an old road and she wasn't at all worried about where her buddy was and was quite happy to slow or speed up as I asked. No ear pinning or attempts to race, even when the other baby pony lost his mind a tiny bit - I like it!

She was the master of all the puddles as well - even the big huge one that's more like a lake that she normally has to inspect prior to entering. Last time we went through it our buddy opted for a giant leap in and almost landed on top of us, so this time she didn't linger and risk another bath lol. It's almost belly deep on her so it's a bit comical when she does attempt to stop in there in an effort to drink eat the nearby greenery. It's just inviting baby hippo comparisons, obviously :)

In other news, all this riding is trashing my gear and I truly need some new breeches and every day tall boots, not to mention a couple of saddle pads. I hate spending money! Canadian oil prices, you need to go back up so my dollar has more buying power...the conversion rate right now is making me sick, and of course Canada has no good riding gear of our own. I'm going for brown boots to match the mud, and nicer breeches so stay tuned - I might be somewhat fashionable for the next 30 seconds or so.

I just signed up for another clinic in April, and am confirmed for our March one, so at some point maybe I might even be able to look good in my new gear, and maybe even ride well at the same time- all on a forward pony of course. I can always dream, right? ;)

That time of year - a shovel full of hair and mud came off the pony (and I groomed her the day previously too, so that's only 24 hours worth)

Cleaner. It's quite difficult to take a good picture of poor Bridget. Ginger is the model, Bridget is more like me and always looks weird in photos.

Building Up That Fitness

I have a friend who used to do endurance (and may again!). Over the years, I've ridden with her occasionally, but generally speaking I am much too slow to keep up. 

These days, she has a new little horse who can be a bit of a handful for her, so she's more interested in slower miles than previously. That's a good thing for me and my fat ponies!

Everyone enjoying the sun pre ride. Bridget loves her cat.

 We met for a ride yesterday afternoon, and I have to say it was one of the best rides I've had on Ms Bridget. The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and the horses were feeling good! We went out for about 2.5 hours and got quite a bit of trot and canter in, but with plenty of long walk breaks as well. At first, Bridget was like "That horse is CRAZY, lets just walk back here and catch up to him later." But, by about halfway she got her game face on and got the idea. She was a bit sweaty and tired nearing the end, but really wanted to canter the last big sandy part of the trail, so I let her. The little monster then tried to take off on me in a bid to 'race' the horse in front! As some of you will know, a baby cob gallop really sounds and feels impressive, but the overall speed isn't really quick at all, so it was just funny and not at all scary. I let her think she was racing for a bit, before quietly reminding her a more sedate canter was the appropriate thing to do. It's a fine line - I want to encourage her to think forward and not shut that down when she offers, but I don't want her ignoring her rider either. She was pretty done after that, so we stuck with a walk the last 45 min to let her cool out and feel refreshed. It must have worked because she was on her toes and really spooky the last little bit to the barn. Either her new grain is working, or someone is getting an idea of how good it feels to move out a little bit :) Her overall fitness is actually not bad at all, as some of you have mentioned, all those long slow miles really work!

 I think if I'm going to ride with L more often I will need to invest in front shoes. My girls both have wonderful feet, but a lot of the road and trail surfaces here are shot rock or crushed granite and Ms Bridget's toes are currently wearing down at about the same rate as a trim - there's not a lot left for the farrier, even at 8 week intervals. If I start putting more miles on those surfaces I may need shoes to stop them wearing too much. Something to mull over - my end goal is obviously not endurance and trotting miles of rocky trails. I just want to have her fitter and thinking more forward for ring work and jumping! I'm reluctant to put shoes on when she has such great feet.

Our big loop outlined in white

Random pic of Ginny from yesterday - her mane is growing back!

Gold Stars

For all! I had a somewhat productive lesson on Bridget this weekend, and even better, Ginger was an absolute star with zero signs of that mystery stiffness/lameness that's keeping me awake at night.

Using some more pictures from Friday's ride - thanks G!

I'm going to  continue with bringing both girls to my lesson time. Ginger and S get along wonderfully. There was some roadwork going on just outside the ring, right on the other side of our little buffer of trees and also the neighbours on the other side seemed to be having a loud party. Ginger tried to tell S it was all a bit much, but S wasn't buying it and Ginger went really well for her. Bonus for me is that with Ginger being pretty well trained, S can teach off Ginger and I get the added help of someone riding alongside, plus the extra forward momentum big Ginger gives to little Bridget. Bridget gave some of her best work yet, so I was pleased. I must admit the big highlight for me was seeing Ginger going so well - I just love her and it's so confidence boosting to see someone else out there having a good ride on her:) Of course when I got on Ginger she knows I'm not so bold as S and we had to have the whole discussion over spooking all over again, but she was good and I had someone there to remind me to breathe and talk me off the ledge, ha ha. I ended up having a really good ride as well on her. My two mares are such a nice counterpoint to each other, it's such a treat to hop on Ginger and have that crazy work ethic and all the forwards, but also pretty nice to have my portable Bridget couch for when Ginger gets a little much! Both of them in their own ways make you really work for what you want, so between the two there is always hope I'll be a better rider someday.

As far as what we practiced, we took some inspiration from the 'western' clinic I audited this weekend and did some rollbacks, then upped the ante by backing on a circle, then reversing out through a rollback. Great prep for our canter departs and building up those hindquarters (looking at you, Bridget!).

Bridget: Bend around your leg? Ha, that's a stupid idea ;)

Add in our usual warm up, some spirals, haunches in, leg yields, and W/T/C and the hour was up pretty fast. I opted not to canter the big Ginger mare this time because my bravery only extends so far, but I watched S and am motivated to be braver next time. Bridget, however, managed an entire lap of the ring in each direction, which is a first!

I'll try to see if I can adequately sum up some of what we discussed and learned at the clinic this weekend in a future post. I got a ton of good tips for both ponies.

You Asked For It

Another boring ride update :)

I rode both girls today in a bid to be somewhat prepared for my lessons on Sunday.

Ginger was up first. She was pretty spooky today and much more reminscent of the 'old Ginger' I was used to. She checked out on the walk up the road when a nice lady riding a bike with a plastic shopping bag draped off the front handlebars passed us at a fair clip. Poor Ginger, flying plastic bags and bicycles all in one experience lol, The focus was really lacking even an hour later, and I chickened out and took it easy while I rode and did my utmost to not poke the bear. I hope she's the same on Sunday so I can pick that fight and get some help working her through it. Also I need reminders about my hands. They're depressing.

Spooking at the mounting block ha ha

Bridget was also up to her old tricks - namely when I asked her to move out she just kind of said 'I caaaannnnn't!!!" Unfortunately for baby pony, the game is up because out on the trails she's been a machine and pulling on me in a bid to be in front and get to our destination first. After a bit of a sucky ride, I got off and lunged her to really remind her the go button is non negotiable. Here's hoping these reminders will continue to become less and less. Poor Ginger was tied to the rail and traumatized by finally seeing evidence that I will touch ponies with the whip now and then. She took great exception to poor Bridget's plight, so we can rest assured at least Ginger learned a lesson and will never suck behind my leg and risk my wrath ha ha.

Stupid human, your spurs will not make me canter faster :) 

Ok then, if you insist

Her other latest evasion is getting her head down and trying to be all slow western pleasure pony

No clue what I'm doing but posting this one cause Bridget looks really cute

I need pony sized reins. That's your safety PSA for the day

Hi Ginger!

Whewww, all done.

So Many Miles

I'm having a bit of a blogging crisis. I'm happy, I'm riding tons, my horses are doing great... and I'm super boring. Local area trail rides just aren't overly exciting, and neither are training rides. 

Both girls have been good this week. I've been putting a ton of trail miles on Ms Bridget and she's been great. She really is the best little trail horse a person could ask for - she's fun, well behaved, and absolutely fearless too. Great out in a group and content on her own as well. In fact, her company is in such demand that I've been slacking on the arena rides. Ginger however, has been to the ring for a light free lunging session in an attempt to build up some base fitness. She seems to be a little more interested in the idea of having a job, which is always a good thing. Both are going to get another ride or two this week, and then both have lessons on Sunday. Same old, same old.

This view. For an hour or two or three every day. Pretty good life, right? :)

At some point I heard a clinician say watching good training is like watching paint dry. So, maybe our general lack of exciting blog material means we're doing well? I'm always easily absorbed by the detail in my actual rides and never bored, but when the time comes to write about my rides there's only so many times I want to write about Ginger being spooky and Bridget being slightly sticky in the transition to canter. Never mind holding the canter. Baby steps, day after day, month after month. Fun as the owner/rider, not so interesting as a blogger!

Adorable baby kitty is adorable. Life is definitely good.

In addition to our regular lessons, I'm going to audit a clinic this weekend, which will hopefully lend me a bit of inspiration. Also, I've got a dressage and a jumping lesson booked for Bridget in a clinic next month with a coach from the big city. If all is going well closer to the date, I'm going to add a lesson or two in for Ginger as well. It's at the exhibition grounds across town so it also might be a good chance to practice for an away show - I may opt to stable them overnight, Until then, we keep picking away, bit by bit, mile by mile, so that one day we will be doing all the exciting things :)