Horse Sense

Jody is on the ground. I'm wearing the hard hat.

A few weeks ago, I started horseback riding again after about 6+ years of being horse-less. I have no idea why I waited so long, but I did. So with Jody's help, er, kick-in-the-ass, I contacted Lindsey via Facebook, who was just a kid when I left the barn. Now Lindsey is a trainer and works for the owner of KJM Stables and a new barn called, KJM The Farm (previously Aberdeen Stables).

Long story short, Lindsey doesn't troll FB as often as I do, so I called the phone number of the stables--I can't remember my cell phone number, but I remember that number--and Kevin answered. So I had a nice talk with Kevin, and then Lindsey sent me her phone number.

About a week later, I was set to ride Kevin's horse Dooley. Lindsey spells Dooley as Dually. I don't know the correct spelling of his name, but for the purpose of this blog, he will be Dooley.
Dooley has been in a pasture with a run-in shelter. Periodically, he had been ridden by a lady who was a barrel racer. But for the most part he is a good dude who is as out of shape and condition as I am. He's acquired a few bad habits, but nothing that isn't fixable.

The first day that I rode him, every time I picked up the reins he scooted forward with his head up in the air. Walk, trot, and a few canters were all I was able to do. My leg muscles were simply too loose to be effective tools.

Needless to say, I could barely walk for the next five days much less get on a horse. Inner thighs, my friends, my inner thighs were screaming when I sat, stood and walked. I made the mistake of not popping any pain relievers.

The next time I rode Dooley was a week later. He was still squirrely. Every time I tried to pick up my reins, he threw his head up and scooted. We walked around the farm (outside of the arenas) until we chilled. I worked him in the arena just trying to soften his jaw and having him curve into the turn instead of outward. I took three Aleve when I came home. I was able to ride on Thursday, but the weather didn't cooperate.

The third time I rode him, we started by walking around the farm. After I got a feel for the lay of the land (dips in the contours, or soft, muddy spots, low tree limbs, etc.) I kicked him into a trot, squeezing doesn't work yet.
Dooley basically took the bit and went with it.

I like Dooley, but I did mention he had some issues--not stopping is one of them.

He just doesn't listen. This isn't uncommon in horses who haven't been ridden for awhile.

So we worked on a variety of things: stopping, trotting, suppling, softening his jaw, and cantering. Dooley likes his right lead, no matter the direction we are going. His canter isn't smooth to start with, as it currently feels disjointed like he's cross-cantering all the time. So I worked on his left lead canter. My legs weren't strong enough to keep him on the correct lead, but after about five minutes I tried again. He kept his left lead around the arena and a circle. YAY!

Needless to say, we stopped for the day on a high note.

I'll periodically post horse stuff on this blog, but unless we do something spectacular, I don't expect it to be a common topic.

Later, Peeps!

Horsin' Around

I woke up in the middle of the night trying to decide what to write about today. I drew a blank. Actually, this is a pretty normal occurrence for me. I think so much stuff is crammed in my noggin that I blow a fuse. Or it could be because I didn't want to figure out how I'm going to get my little gnome, Rory Leafhopper, out of the mouth of Mr. Bickles the witch's cat! But that's my middle grade novel and doesn't belong here.

Anyhoo, I thought about Facebook and my 'friends', and then I thought about one of my friends who refuses to cross over to the dark side. And she took it one more step and became my first follower on this blog! Wow, how cool is that?!

Jody and I go way back. Time, distance, and becoming horseless has taken the toll on our relationship. I thought I'd be better at emailing people, but I've failed in that respect. Jody wrote me a long note after I sent her the Facebook invite, and I started writing an answer. . . wait, that's a lie. I thought about writing her an answer, but got bogged down in other miscellaneous crap. Your note is still in my inbox, taunting me everytime I open my email. I WILL get to it, Jody! Though it will have to wait until after this Easter weekend.

So, instead of an email--this blog is for you, Jody!

We met when we stabled our horses at a local barn, KJM Stables--best place to kill some time! Jody is the perfect Hunter rider. She has long arms, long legs and a shortish torso. This translates into a beautiful picture on the back of our equine friends. She's a beautiful rider with a wickedly funny sense of humor. She also is a very talented artist, and draws the best cartoon horses EVER! Check out her store here.

She made a shirt for the 1993 Oklahoma Hunter Jumper Association that I wore yesterday over my workout clothes. Yes, I realize that it is currently 2009 and the shirt is 16 years old. But I LOVE it! Washed about a bazillion times, it still has the horsy sweat marks where I was used as a rubbing post!

It has the picture of a schooling ring on the back. And I really can't describe the pictures, but it depicts the chaos of schooling your horse before a horse show. If you can survive the schooling ring, then jumping eight fences with no one in your way is a piece of cake!

So if you love horses or know someone who loves horses hop on over to Jody's website, Misfit Designs. I know you'll find something!

I miss owning/riding a horse and would love to have another one. You know, I never did clean my tack as I kept hoping that I'll use it again soon. It's been five years now, I think it's time I clean my tack and properly store it.

Bummer.