Road Riding, Horse Showing...

Yesterday I rode about 5 miles south of town, and today I went to an open horse show for the fun of it and entered 3 classes.

Let's just say that Colletta is better suited to endurance riding than loping at a walking pace. <.< >.>

But first, yesterday's ride! It was in the 70s yesterday, cloudy, with a nice breeze, so it was a perfect riding day. The only bad thing that could have turned out worse was when I forgot to tighten the saddle girth for the second time (I usually tighten the girth once, put the bridle on, and tighten it a second time before riding off)... 

See, I had been riding for about 10 minutes at a walking/trotting pace. Then, a little ways south of town I decided to lope for a while in the grass next to the road. We made it about 100 feet before I started sliding to the right...and didn't stop...and didn't stop....and--well, you get the idea. I managed to get Colletta stopped before I completely fell off, and when she stood still the only thing still on her back was the girth and my left leg. It was awkward.

The best part is that Colletta couldn't have cared less that a saddle was attacking her belly and stood calmly eating ditch grass while I took the saddle off and put it on properly. I've only ever seen horses have a complete melt-down in that situation, so I was pretty impressed.

So after fixing the saddle, we continued on and picked up a farm dog for a while...it followed us for about half a mile, anyway. I think it was excited to have someone to explore with or something. After the dog there were cattle...LOTS of cattle. Lots of very noisy cattle. I'd say there were about 200 all strung out across a pasture, mooing and staring and carrying on. A couple came galloping over, bucking and sending saliva flying (cows are slobbery creatures) as if they were going to chase us off. Or check us out. Or something. They were just nosy. Colletta couldn't have cared less (again). I think she rather likes cattle, to a degree.

After the cattle we passed some pastures with horses and came home on Main Street. At the last pasture of horses--this was about a block from home, with horses that belonged to some people we know--I let the horse stop and touch noses through the fence. I'm not sure if she was posturing or what, but she decided to do a Fell Beast impersonation and bellow/stomp her feet a couple of times. The other horses were chill about it...so maybe they were having a conversation? I don't know. It was bizarre. 

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So that was yesterday. Today at the horse show I entered a walk/trot class (which is exactly what it sounds like), open Western pleasure (walk, trot, canter), and trot poles. 

Let's just say that after working on speed and endurance for ages, it doesn't make much sense to enter a class where one is judged on how low the head is and how slowly one can walk/trot/lope. Colletta was passing EVERYBODY. *headdesk* And she couldn't lope with her head low to save her life...so it was a fail in that respect. I would have gotten 2nd in trot poles if she hadn't gotten excited and loped for two strides at one point...ah well. 

There probably won't be a next time, because I was reminded why I'm so jaded about horse showing in general (mostly because of the impracticality of the gaits and the 'win at any cost' mentality a lot of people have. It gets scary, man...). I'll stick with endurance riding, thanks.

And I'll relish the knowledge that my horse will stop and be totally cool with having a saddle-tumor on her belly, while most horses would have a complete meltdown. >:D

Moar Saddles

But no pictures, because they're still on my camera and waiting to be edited.

I cleaned and oiled the two old saddles in preparation for selling them--I'm going to try Craigslist and the local paper for about a month, and if that doesn't work I have someone who will take them to a market-type thing for me. If I get a hundred bucks for both I'll be happy, though. The oldest one is in good shape but the leather is crackled from much use, and the newer one is for a narrow horse. Here's to success!

Riding has been strongly attempted over the past few days, but having no time in the mornings equals trying to fit it in at night, and it's dang HOT out there. I only rode for about half an hour yesterday and it was so breathless outside that I went home instead of trying to go around the lake (it's about 3 miles starting from my house, going around the lake, and coming back home with some great hills along the way). On the way home we grazed for a few minutes across the fence from a bull. It was pretty funny watching him and Colletta touch noses and go back to eating.

I'm still loving my saddle, but it still kills my left knee if I go for any longer than 30-45 minutes. I'm debating whether I should invest in some stirrup swivels or not...I've heard that they help with knee problems while riding. Or I could get a rhythm of 30 minutes riding, 10 minutes walking and see how that works...I dunno. At this point it's just aggravating. I'm going to ask the farrier when he comes to trim the horse this week.

Speaking of trimming, the horse hasn't had shoes in years. I'm alternately pleased (because she has the feet to go without shoes, and thus it's much less expensive) and concerned (because I don't know how well she would do barefoot on LONG rides). I suppose that's another thing to ask the farrier. 

And on a completely different note, both of my brothers are leaving (one for China to teach English for a year, one for college 5 hours away) within a month. I guess I'll find out what it's like to be a single child...or is that a single adult who just happens to live at home? I dunno. 

I leave you with this quote:

“Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.”--Margaret Atwood

Necessity

It's the mother of invention, yo.

Just thought I'd let ya'll know.

Anyway. I found today after talking to a friend of mine that the stirrups on the new saddle are rather dangerous, being metal without any grip. They don't keep the feet from slipping forward and make it harder to sit properly. (That's why my feet were slipping around so much yesterday--it wasn't all leg position after all!) 

After poking around a bit online I found that metal stirrups are commonly sold with either rubber grips (these 'clip' on through the slats in the stirrup) or suede grips (these wrap around and are secured with velcro). 

Suede:

Rubber:

Since I'm cheap and impatient, I decided to make my own.

Originally the idea was to make the suede/velcro version. But I cleaned out my box of leather scraps recently, and I don't remember what I did with the leather, and my velcro has been missing for a while. So instead, I took a pair of old work gloves (with permission) and whipped out an impromptu pair of stirrup grips.

I think they turned out rather well too!

The little X of thread is around the slats in the bottom, to keep the pad from shifting while riding. I really like how it's still padded (there's 2 layers of leather)--it just feels nicer than a single flap of leather.

And the not-so-pretty bottom...eh, it works. I figure that these will work until I can get/make some better ones that actually, y'know, match the saddle. 

I've become rather vain about tack matching now. Having a nice saddle does that, I guess...

Crikey! She's a beaut!

(Warning: Picture-heavy post ahead)

My saddle came! Finally! *gleeful spazzing*

So story-time: I've been watching this thing via its tracking number, and might have worked myself in a slight froth as it sat all day yesterday 3 hours away. Then it came this morning, right after I got home from cleaning a house, when there wasn't enough time to do anything more than get it out of the box and spazz for a bit. THEN, it poured and stormed all afternoon and didn't clear off until about 7 PM. Hence, it's been a long day of waiting...but no more!

It fits Colletta perfectly, for which I'm very glad. The weirdest part is that the cantle (the back part, for you non-horse-people) is much higher than it was for my old saddle, so it's taking some getting used to. There's been a few times of catching the knee on the way up or down. 

It came with a neoprene girth and a wool saddle pad. I'm not sure how I feel about the girth yet, because it seems to slip a bit. That may be because it doesn't seem to need to be tightened quite that much. 

The stirrups seem extraordinarily heavy while tacking up, but when my feet are in them they feel incredibly light. Part of that is the thinner stirrup leathers...but it's wonderful as long as my feet don't slip forward too far.

The stirrups also hook to the saddle, rather than unbuckle:

It seemed a bit odd at first, but it makes sense after ya think about it: English saddles need to have their stirrups 'run up' so they don't bang and clank around on the horses' sides as they're being tacked up or untacked. With these, the entire stirrup can just be taken off while the saddle is put on, girth tightened, etc and then hooked back on once everything is ready. It's brilliant!

As far as the rest of the saddle: it's absolutely gorgeous. The leather has little designs stamped in it, and there's a plethora of brass rings/hardware that have horseshoe or rose designs carved in them.

One of the things I'm really excited about is all the rings and hooks. I'd like to do some real long-distance rides soon, and it's nice to know that I can just clip on bags and the like without having to rely on saddle strings.

Strings aren't that practical. Just take it from me.

I think these are breast-plate hooks. But I could be mistaken.

And now, for my riding review!

I made the mistake of initially going out to ride in shorts. Yes, I know that's a bad idea, but I was excited and wanted to get out of the house quickly. After saddling up and riding around the barn lot for a few minutes I decided to head outside the pen. Colletta did great--I actually think she was moving with larger steps and a more open gait than she normally does. 

The stirrup leathers started pinching my calves almost immediately. I broke down and changed into some jeans, but they still pinched a bit. I think the problem was that the stirrups were too long, because the bottom of the saddle flap kept catching the top of my boot as well (I wear typical cowboy boots when I ride that come a little over halfway up the calf). So I adjusted the stirrups, and the pinching decreased but was still there a little bit. Some tall socks or chaps may be in order...in the meantime I'm waiting for the bruises to heal. O.e

The saddle itself rides like a dream--the seat is beautifully deep and soft (the leather is buttery to the touch, and the lack of a wooden tree makes for a very cushy seat), and the knee rolls encourage a deep seat. When I lope the horse in a Western saddle, I have to concentrate to make sure I don't flop around and/or pull my legs so tight that my feet come out of the stirrups. When I loped the horse tonight, I couldn't have bounced if I wanted to. My feet still have a tendency to slide forward or out of the stirrups, but that's my own darned legs to blame.

(Wow. That sounds like I have a horrible seat. I really don't...but I have to make a conscious effort to keep a good seat at the lope or gallop. That's the difference, I guess.)

I only rode for about 20 minutes tonight. As the weekend progresses I'm hoping to take Colletta for some harder, longer rides just to see what she and I can handle. The biggest test will be riding for a couple of hours and seeing how my legs fare...here's to sparing the knees!

(On a random note, I rode the horse down to work yesterday to pick up my check. My co-workers spent most of their time gawking out the drive-through window...it was pretty hilarious.)

(On another random note, the Bandanna Guy keeps coming back in at work. Fortunately he just asks what was discussed in Bible study and refrains from asking me out anymore.)

Saddle Musings

For the non-horse-people that read my stuff....what follows may not make much sense. Consider yourself warned.

So for the past *counts on fingers* ten or twelve years, I've had the same saddle for the horse. There's really nothing WRONG with it...it's just old and the more I look into saddle fitting, endurance/trail riding and the like, the more I realize that it really doesn't fit either the horse or me. 

(I got this shiny new book to help me with all of the above; doesn't it look authoritative and amazing? *glee*)

 

(I can vouch that yes, it IS authoritative and amazing and 320 pages of usefulness. It's been a fabulous investment.)

For example: the left fender (that piece that holds up the stirrup) has a slight tork to it that twists my leg ever so slightly. For anything less than an hour, I'm fine. But riding for an hour or more makes my knee absolutely scream.

It also has poor contact with the horse's back. See, ideally a saddle should have even pressure over the back and not rub, pinch, gall, etc. The saddle I own has a tendency to leave dry patches the size of my palm on either side of the withers; according to a bit of research that means it has excess pressure and is actually shutting down the sweat glands. 

What it all comes down to is: I want a new saddle. :p

Originally I was leaning towards endurance (for lightness), but the more I look around the more I think I'd prefer an Aussie saddle. For the uninitiated, an Aussie saddle looks like this:

The knee pads and deep saddle ensure a nice, deep seat (useful for cattle herding and going up and down steep terrain, from what I've read). We used to have an Aussie when I was much younger...but at that point we had a brat of a gelding named Woody that destroyed it. I was very sad when that happened.

Anyway. I've been drooling over saddles for the past week and deciding if/when to take the plunge. I'm leaning towards the one pictured here (the 'Kimberly Superior), with the thought that I don't want to have to buy another saddle for decades, ideally for the rest of my life. That may be wishful thinking, but what's an $800 saddle if it lasts me for the next 50 years?

But before that...the other two saddles have to go. I've ordered neatsfoot oil to give them a good drink--their leather is so dry. I didn't really notice until today what poor shape the leather is in. I mean, I soap and clean them a couple times a year, but have never oiled them. The soap dries the leather out a little bit each cleaning, and they're showing the lack of upkeep. The weird part is, I've never oiled a saddle and am so excited at the prospect of doing so that I have to force myself not to go outside and wash both saddles until I get the oil. Is that strange?

So the other two must be sold. The money from those goes towards a new saddle, and everyone's happy. And I'll be able to start long-distance riding in earnest, without killing my knees and the horse's sweat glands in the process. XD

The Quintessential Colletta Expression

I've taken to listening to Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler in the evenings while I draw. This is mostly because listening to the same music over and over again gets kind of boring and I have a tendency to skip songs I don't like, thus breaking the creative concentration.

So roughly ten sermons later (in retrospect, more like twelve), I finally finished that drawing of the horse. See? See?

I've always said that I wanted to have a portrait of the horse, and hopefully this will be one that I'm proud of and won't want to re-do in a couple of years. (Though you never know about that last bit.)

I also realize that I've never given much history of the horse...let's just say that my oldest brother bought her at age 2 while he was in the 'Amish' phase of his life, I bought her from him after he lost interest, and after many fights and tears and coercing and trying different training methods (this was all on my part--the horse would just put her ears back and get all stubborn on me) both she and I have turned out to be pretty good partners. There was a time, though...SO many tears and frustrations.

But now I know a bit more in the way of 'training', she's mellowed a LOT, I've gotten better at riding and applying what I've read, and we've both figured out that trail or endurance riding would be the way to go. She's well-suited to it (as am I--I'm really not competitive and am pretty disgusted with the world of showing), and after I get a new saddle we should be able to start in earnest. The current saddle twists my legs and I can't ride more than an hour without my knees screaming in pain...I can't wait.

So anyway. There's the horse and her weird face. Hope ya enjoy it. XD

Evening Ride

So. After *counts on fingers* 10 weeks of failing at riding the horse at ALL, much less several times a week, I took her for a ride. It lasted for maybe an hour...but by the end she was completely soaked in sweat, and I was moaning and groaning about chafing and back soreness and generally being a pansy.

Colletta, on the other hand, is a freaking Determinator when it comes to GOING PLACES (my phrase for 'anywhere that isn't meandering around the yard'). For example: today, some distance past the halfway point (she was already quite damp and blowing but still wanting to trot) we came across a hill. She RAN as fast and hard as she could up the hill and then kept loping along a straightaway until we came to where the road sloped down (a couple hundred yards), and then I had to make her slow to a walk to go down the hill. She acts like she's made of iron, man...

Me? I'm kind of a pansy when it comes to long-distance stuff. I mean, I like thinking about it and planning trips and I'll see them through...but I don't go as fast as I can through them. And I complain mentally a lot. XD

So after the ride I tried to sponge her off, but she didn't like that at all. So while I cleaned out the trough and re-filled it with fresh water she meandered over to roll, and I took pictures in between trough-filling.

She had been rubbing her head and neck against the hitching post while I untacked her--I swear, this is her favorite part of being ridden. (Well...maybe second favorite after GOING PLACES. But I digress.)

*flail*

And then she turns around and looks at you with this face like 'Problem?'

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the quintessential Colletta face. If I ever draw/paint a portrait of her, this is going to be what I use because it's HER expression.

So fat...this is what happens when I don't make time to ride. >.<

And this is what happens when I do make time to ride. There's repercussions either way, I suppose.

Looking for another spot...

"Problem?"

I really do like my horse though. Like...more than people sometimes. <.< >.>

I've sworn to keep her til she dies, because I can't imagine someone else owning her. And it may sound silly, but you know that 'bond' thing that the typical horse-novel-writer blathers about in books aimed towards teenage kids? There's definitely something of the sort here. I mean, I know how she thinks. She knows how I'm going to ride and react (and quite possibly knows how I think too). And if I fall off (which has happened, though infrequently) she's the sort that will stop in her tracks and look back with an expression that clearly says, "What the heck? What are you doing down there? Get up and let's go!"

She's inspired a book/graphic novel idea. But I'm kinda scared to write it. ^^; Maybe someday.

Endurance Update

A few weeks ago I posted a list of goals for riding the horse...so consider this a follow-up on how that has been panning out.

Almost immediately after that post, I started working on the dressage part. I haven't ridden 'long distance' for quite a while, actually, but lunging the horse and riding for upwards of an hour every other day has been helping to build up her endurance. I'm not sure how far I go in an hour when going around in circles in the pasture...but she's always soaked in sweat by the end. We've been working on correct leads for the canter, and let's just say that she hasn't quite got it yet. -.-

Then a week ago she got what I thought was a scabby cut on her right heel. Because I wasn't sure what it was (rope burn, cut, infection, etc) I didn't ride her for several days. 

It turns out she has scratches (layman's term for a bacterial infection). So I was letting her rest for nothing, really, but I'm sure she appreciated the break. I've been treating it with black walnut and my comfrey salve, and it's clearing up very nicely.

But back to the endurance riding. XD

My brother and sister-in-law have been visiting for the past week, and my brother has been wanting a running partner. I don't run at all (read: I HATE to run), but had the brilliant idea yesterday of riding the horse with him, just to get out of the pasture. 

Yesterday we ran 3.5 miles, and today 5.5 miles. The hilarious part is that Colletta is raring to go for about the first 1/2-3/4 of the distance, and then she gets tired and blows and snorts and walks for a bit. Then after walking for a quarter mile or so, she's ready to run again. I'm not sure how many cycles of running/walking she could do, but for right now I'm very happy with how she's shaping up. ^-^

The first distance of 3.5 miles we covered in 50 minutes (we could have gone faster, but Isaac was running with the dog and ended up dragging said dog after said dog got tired. Sigh.), and today's 5.5 miles we covered in about an hour and 20 minutes. I'm not exactly sure how great that is for a time to distance ratio...but hey, as long as we make it and no one dies along the way we're doing good. I'll worry about time later.

I would also like to add that my brother is a beast, and could probably run the horse into the ground if he wanted to. O.o I feel like a bit of a wuss in comparison.

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In other news...I have some pictures of my nephew that I'll probably post in the next few days. And the picture challenge has been hovering over my head, but I just got another job and I can't promise that I'll be able to finish it. ^^; I know it's just a matter of sitting down and 'doing it', but there's school and work and horse riding and garden and GEH. I may have to compromise on quality in order to finish.

Thoughts on social issues and with a philosophical bent are still banging around in my head...I tried to sit down and write an essay/article kinda thing, but ended up looking at all the word-vomit on my screen and not knowing where in the world to start editing. Blargh. Maybe some other time.

In the meantime...I'm off to visit wif de family and may or may not be back in the next few days. XD

Horse Ramblings and Daily Whatnots

This week I've been good on my word of riding daily--every day except Thursday has been spent either lunging or riding the horse for 40-60 minutes. Mah arms are tired....anyway. Two weeks ago I had posted a picture on Facebook complaining about the horse's sweat pattern:

 

 In this one (taken two weeks ago) the hair on her neck is wrinkled in vertical lines, meaning that she's been bracing her neck and altogether tense for the ride. I was shown how to get her to relax somewhat, so today I went for an hour-long ride and tried to use what I've learned.

(As a hint: it's really hard to remember everything I was shown. My body is sore and tired after only an hour.)

 

Here (taken today) she's a lot sweatier due to the humidity, but the vertical lines are less noticeable and most of her neck is fairly smooth. Plus (and this may just be hopeful thinking) I think she's got a little more definition than she did two week ago. 8D

So...here's to plugging away at it and keeping up with the riding. I have a book on dressage arena exercises that I may be able to pull out and start working on in a few weeks.

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And back to daily life...I'm in a rather 'poor me' mood tonight, but I'll try not to indulge that side too much. 

All I can say is...tomorrow will be 6 weeks. I miss everything, but mostly the daily interactions and little stuff. Like asking how his day was and what he had for lunch, and getting to talk at night and send silly youtube videos and dream about what we were going to do after we were together. I guess the problem with building castles in the air is that they're made out of nothing...but it still feels like something was lost when they collapse. It's a horrible feeling. And the worst part is being cut off (which, granted, was my idea. I can be an idiot sometimes) and not only knowing nothing, but feeling like I can't ask because he'll try to honor my request to not talk to me and just ignore any attempts at contact. *clutches head*

Have I mentioned that this has been highly messy and confusing? Don't ever get dumped if you can help it. *gestures vaguely* 

On a side note, I get the feeling that I'm turning into the mopey friend that people don't want to talk to anymore because all I can think about, after talking about the weather and one's health, is what's happened and I get all depressed. >.< It's really frustrating to try to hold a conversation and burst into tears at the randomest provocation.
Blargh.

Concerning the rest of daily life...there's riding, and school, and cleaning houses...I did go to see The Hunger Games yesterday. No one in my family wanted to go, and I decided to go 10 minutes before the movie started, so it was a lone venture. :p Overall it was enjoyable (though I missed the first 5-10 minutes), but the shaky hand-camera usage was way overused and headache-inducing. It was fairly faithful to the book, but the ending could have been less rushed, with more character development throughout. I know people don't like spoilers--so I'd say go see it, but read the book first. :p The music wasn't as memorable as I hoped it would be--nothing as memorable as the fan-made music I've been listening to for days. It made me sad.

And otherwise...meh. I spend a lot of time trying to distract myself. *shrugs* Someday I won't have to. But in the meantime....meh.

Endurance Riding and Goals-ish-things

So for the past week or so I've been working on riding the horse every day with the assistance of a friend of mine...I know nothing about dressage but would like to learn, so she's been giving me a hand at learning the basics. And when the horse's brain doesn't hurt from thinking so hard about what she's doing, it's a lot of fun riding and getting her to figure out what it is she needs to do and learn. (Though last night I dreamed ALL night of riding the horse along the rail, getting her to flex at the poll and turn on the forehand and stay relaxed and GEH. It was slightly stressful. XD)

 Hopefully over this summer I'll be riding a LOT more and working up to doing some endurance-style riding.

For those who may not know what I'm talking about, endurance riding is "an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races." I like to think of it as marathons for horses. The longer rides seem to be between 50-100 miles, but it can take years to get one's horse (and self!) into shape for a ride. Since I don't have a trailer anymore I'm a bit limited as to where I can attend rides. But before I can even think about doing any 'professional' rides I have some smaller goals to reach first.

1. Solidify the basic dressage training -- That's a bit vague, but getting her to stay relaxed and keep her head from popping up every time she speeds up is the current goal. XD (Along with getting her used to leg pressure, flexing, keeping a good seat, etc. O.o)

2. Consistent long slow distances at least 3 days a week -- Endurance rides are typically timed, anywhere from 2 1/2 hours for a 12.5 mile ride to 3-4 days for a 100-mile ride. Starting with long slow distances (LSD, if you can keep from laughing) conditions the horse's cardiovascular system, hooves, skeleton, muscles, everything. The only thing is that each system conditions itself at a different speed; while the cardiovascular system can be in peak condition within 1-2 months, it can take 24-36 months for the hooves and musculoskeletal system to be in peak condition. I'd prefer not to put shoes on the horse due to the expense, and she has good hard hooves to begin with. So walking/trotting the long, slow distances a few times a week can start getting the overall system in better shape without worrying about being timed yet.

(Or, riding 2-5 miles to start and working slowly on longer distances/shorter times as time progresses. See, I can be concise sometimes too. :p)

3. Go on at least 1 long ride at the end of the summer -- Three years ago I rode Colletta from my house to a rodeo 24 miles away. Neither of us were in very good shape, and while she seemed fine I felt like roadkill for the better part of a week. XD So I'd like to go on that ride again, but this time be in better shape and (hopefully) make it in better time--though that depends on the people I ride with and how fast they feel like going.

A more vague future idea involves 'riding the rails'. There are a lot of train tracks that are in less than ideal shape, and as a result the trains are short and have to go slowly. So if I rode the horse along the train tracks I could have a specific road to follow, without fear of being run over or spooking the horse TOO much. But that's for the future.

3 working goals seems like a good place to start...I can't guarantee that I'll continue riding on a consistent schedule when the summer heat/winter cold gets here, but I have ideas about how to get around the former. (The latter, not so much. I hate hate HATE being cold. O.e)

And the reason why I'm telling you folks? Well, I've heard the best way to finish something is to make oneself accountable to other people...so if I tell ya'll on here I HAVE to do it on pain of appearing like a flake. ;)