Superman in the Sunshine State

     Saying many things have happened since my last post would be a complete understatement. I have to be honest and say that the reason I haven't written a post sooner is mostly because I'm lazy and a little because I'm always busy and tired...but mostly because I'm lazy.

     Chattahoochee Hills Horse Trials the last weekend in October? Not even worth talking about. Just the thought of each phase that weekend makes me incredibly annoyed. So moving on.

     I came back home to Cabot after that weekend and have settled in over this last month. After being on the east coast and coming back, I think it's safe to say I truly am a southern girl. Since being back, I've gotten to hang out with my friends I've missed, and I've loved every minute of it. With being back in town and not going to school, people think I don't do anything all day (which would be a fair and logical assumption if I were them), but the truth is that I go nonstop every day. With Stoney being boarded at a friend's farm in Ward, I drive a total of an hour a day just getting to and from the barn (after having my horse at my house for the last seven years, this is taking some getting use to). Also, I work at two farms (one being where Stoney is) four times a week as well as riding six times a week AND driving to little rock in the mornings twice a week to the chiropractor before riding and working. See, even reading the sentence made you exhausted. So it's safe to say I'm keeping myself quite busy, not to mention applying for scholarships and what not.

     With having such inconsistent shows over the past few months, I decided I needed to get another training level ride under my belt before going to Florida in January and running our first prelim at Rocking Horse. Mom and I left for Mike's Wednesday, where we then had a dressage lesson that night, a show jumping/cross country lesson Thursday and Friday morning, and a flat lesson at the show on Friday afternoon. We definitely wanted to get in some needed lessons after being home for a few weeks. Mike had us jumping preliminary level in the ring and even had me doing questions on cross country that he'd never had us do before. Although we were only going training, it was nice training at a higher level than I would be competing, knowing that if I was jumping that successfully at the farm, I would have no problem over the weekend.

     Let me just add in a small paragraph and say that pulling back into Gold Chip Stables after being away for five months was such a great feeling. It truly feels like my home. Everyone treated me like I'd never left, and I was incredibly happy to see everyone again. Everyone there is just so kind and open. You can't help but love the place. Okay, no more sentimental paragraphs. Promise.

     Going down to Texas that early before a show gave Mom and I extra time to visit colleges, so we took a tour of TCU and UNT. I am 99% positive in telling you I will be going to one or the other, but I must say, I stepped foot on TCU's campus and felt it was the place for me. The only problem? It is really REALLY expensive. But when you have an awesome mother like I do who does anything and everything to help make the chances of me going there possible, you can't help but get your hopes up. Still, we have to wait and see. I haven't even been accepted into TCU yet.... I won't be given an answer until December 1st, so who knows. I may end up going to UNT since I've already been accepted there.

     So, moving on to Texas Rose Horse Trials. I'll try to describe the weekend in as much of a short and sweet way as I can. Stoney and I had a great dressage test. If I had given myself more time in warm up, seeing as it took me a while to get a grip on myself, parts of my test would have been much better. But in the end, it really wasn't that bad. The judge didn't think so either and gave us our best score we've received so far, a 35. This was with the added penalties of my error. Yeah, way to go me. So it would have been even better if I'd actually remembered my test. That was the first in years I've done that, and hopefully the last. We were in seventh after dressage, and after having a picture perfect show jumping round with only one rail, we remained in seventh going in to cross country. The rail we had was Stoney's fault (though I'd rather blame myself every time than blame him). I got him to the upright vertical perfectly, was good with my upper body, and he was just a tad bit lazy with his front feet. Still, he was a superstar in showing how grown up he has become and how simple the course was for him. Cross country went as great as it ever could have. Every fence rode perfectly and the grey pony came off the course feeling like Superman. I must say though, I had no clue he was as fit as he was. Usually with the stronger bit I run him in for cross country, one tug to balance up before the fence is enough and gets his attention. This time was the first time since using it that I'd ever had to tug two or three times to get his attention and get him back before the fences. The monster kept ripping my arms off. Even with his ridiculously thick coat, he managed to cool of relatively quickly. With our flawless and double clear cross country round, we finished in third place. THIRD PLACE! Some would think it's no big deal, but seeing as I've been competing Stoney for almost two years now and we've only ribboned twice (both being seventh place), this was quite a big accomplishment for us.

   The following week after the show, Stoney got to go on vacation. This is the only break he'll have for a LONG time seeing as he'll go back into fitness work, start qualifying for Young Riders in Florida in January and February, continue qualifying through the spring, and then hopefully (if we meet the qualifications and are selected for the team) attend Young Riders in July. We have quite a schedule ahead of us.

     I finally body clipped Stoney after having put up with his long coat for far too long. Trying to manage his coat during Texas Rose was the final straw, and I could no longer wait until the end of December like I had originally planned. So now that the treacherous task is complete, he gets to start his fitness training tomorrow. Seeing as he is already too fit for his own mental good, I can only hope he doesn't kill me by the end of the year.

     Aside from gaining our fitness, I feel like we are finally ready to move up. Having a double clear cross country round was important for me after having the unfortunate run outs at the previous shows. I'm now at a peace of mind and only able to see the positive outcomes from here on out that await us this winter. My goal is that Stoney will finish his first prelim feeling as much like Superman as he did finishing his last training, and I plan to do everything possible to make sure of it. Seeing as it is the first time I've had the opportunity to go, I am beyond excited for Florida and can't help but count down the days. So, let the count down begin at 53 days left! (:

 Texas Rose Horse Trial; November 19-20 2011

A Small Tribute To An Incredible Horse

     I was sitting in the barn Thursday morning, Stoney in the wash bay and I sitting on an upside down bucket as I soaked his foot after his morning hack. He was still a bit lame from his incident with his shoe from the week before. As I was fiddling with my phone, I got a call from Mom. It was quite unusual to hear from her this early in the morning, especially since she knew I was working. Since I wasn't doing anything but making sure my horse stayed still, I answered. What she told me next was the last thing I ever expected to hear.

     I never thought that when I unloaded my childhood horse from the trailer this mid July it would be the last time I would lay eyes on her. The thought never crossed my mind. Although there was not a set time as to when the lease would be up and I would ask for my horse again I was sure she would be there on Cassie's farm until I was ready to take her back. In my mind, I still had another ten years to call this horse mine.

   As my mother began to tell me of the events that took place the night before, I just buried my face in my hand, trying to keep some composure (a wasted effort). Stoney could tell something was wrong, and he began to bury his face in me, almost as if to say, "Why are you sad? I'm perfectly fine. See?" He was quite persistent in letting me know that he would be alright and that he didn't understand what the big deal was.

     With our busy barn, it didn't take long for someone to notice my break down. Kaitlynn had brought Billy and Tatham up because they were next for us to ride. It was then that she noticed I was sort of having a complete breakdown, even with me trying to be discrete. She came over and squatted down in front of me, giving me a huge hug. No one at the barn could understand what I was going through better than she could, that's for sure. She had the same experience only a year ago.

     Finally, Stoney's twenty minutes was up, and I took him back to his stall. By this point, Kaitlynn had made her way into the tack room and had told Nat what was going on, and she met me over at his stall with a huge hug as well. Being Nat, she always has to make you laugh, no matter how terrible a situation is. Lately in the barn, we have a knew phrase being used when a horse comes up from the pasture and has managed to bang themselves up. It's called "pulling a Stoney." Yes, this is quite sad, I know. So when she said, "I have no choice but to say something cruel and make you laugh at a time like this," telling me "[my mare had] pulled the ultimate Stoney," I couldn't do anything but laugh through my tears. Only Nat could get a laugh out of me at a time like that. That woman amazes me. She let me go inside for the rest of the morning, and I was thankful to be in a place where I had people around me who were understanding of such a situation. 

     For those who do not know, Raven somehow managed to break her right back leg above the hock. Cassie and her family had gone off to her son's baseball game that evening, having seen Raven perfectly content before they left. When she got back and went out to feed everyone, Raven did not come up like she usually did. Cassie went out searching for her and found her standing beneath a tree, looking quite normal as she stood still eating grass. It wasn't until Cassie got closer that she realized her leg was broken, and it was turned inward in an abnormal way, showing there was nothing but flesh that was keeping it attached.

     Thankfully, vertebrates release endorphins when experiencing pain as to create a since of well being (gotta love AP Biology), and according to my mother, it was quite evident when looking at Raven in the face that she could not feel much.

     The vet, Dr. Pallone, arrived only a few short minutes after my mother, and it did not take long for them to make the decision that she needed to be euthanized.

     Pallone said that with a break above the hock, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to repair it. The well known race horse, Barbaro, had a similar break above the hock, his not being nearly as bad as Raven's. His owners had all the money in the world to put into him, and after his hind end being in a sling for months and many other problems arising, still nothing could be done to help him.

     Pallone was positive that no horse, not even the draft horses Cassie owns, could have kicked Raven and caused such a break. There were no signs of a kick, only scratches on the inside of her leg, showing signs that she might have fallen. He is sure that the only cause had to have been from the pressure of her own weight. With the bones of horses her age becoming quite fragile, it may not have caused much for her injury to occur. However, not knowing exactly what happened was and still is difficult to take in.

     To have something or someone taken away from you long before you expect them to leave is one of the hardest things in life to bear. However, there will always be someone who can relate to your situation. Although I lost a great horse, I did not have to experience the heart wrenching pain others such as Ayron Young, Abbie Golden, and Kaitlynn Mosing have experienced. All of their horses were taken from them before their time as well, but these horses were there competitive horses and their futures. These girls were still spending countless hours in the saddle with their horses when they were tragically taken from them. These girls are ones my heart still reaches out for, for I can not fathom how they dealt with such things. I can only be grateful that I still have Stoney in my life.

     Of course, there are always the thoughts of what people wish they had done differently. I wish I had spoiled Ray more with treats (although she did manage to tear open Stoney's bags on many occasions, eating them all), and I wish I had found time to take her out on more hacks. In the end though, I knew she was quite happy with the life and retirement I gave her.

     Many have heard the quote, "all horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl." When thinking of this, I must say that Raven was quite a lucky horse. She was not loved by one, but three little girls throughout her life. There aren't many horses who are given that delightful experience.

     I don't know how to even begin to describe how incredible of a horse this mare was. She was by far the greatest first horse a mother could have ever wanted for their daughter. Being only nine years old when she came into my life, she was my baby sitter, even at her young age of ten. Not once did this horse ever buck with me, nor did she have a mean bone in her body. She put up with just about anything, and she jumped her heart out for me until the intelligent horse knew that she was incapable of jumping any higher. There are so many fond memories I have of this horse, memories I will always have.

     I must say, I cannot believe all the love and support I have been given by so many people. I have such caring people in my life, and I have absolutely no clue how I became so blessed.

     Although I am experiencing a painful loss, I am not the only one who is filled with grief. Raven was just as much of Lindsey Petro's first horse as she was mine, and I can't thank her enough for giving me the opportunity to have Raven in my life. She was the most important horse in her life for quite a long time as well. My heart also goes out to Gracie, Cassie's daughter, who unfortunately did not get to experience Raven in her life for as long as Lindsey and I did. This eight year old girl was crazy over Raven and loved her from the moment she layed eyes on her. Cassie, as well, is in my thoughts. Although we have reassured her it was not her fault, she is still sick with guilt over it all. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep Raven alive, and I hold nothing against her, knowing she took great care of my horse. 

     My only regret I seem to have is that I was over a thousand miles away when Raven left me. To not be able to be one of the last people she saw when she left this earth is upsetting, but knowing my mother was able to be with her was the next best thing. I can't help but wish this had at least happened when I was back home and only fifteen miles away from her, but I know God had his own perfect time for her leaving. All that is left to do is accept it and be grateful for the memories and teachings that Raven left me. This mare blessed more than just me with her presence, and there is no doubt in my mind that she will forever be remembered by many.

    

     

    

     

Hooray for Magnesium Sulfate

     To say Stoney and I have had a rough and quite unlucky time since being here just doesn't quite cut it. If you've been following me and reading my previous posts, you would know my horse has injured his knee, got caught in the fence (resulting in not going to Maryland), and knocked himself so hard that he got a nice splint as well. On top of ALL that, he threw a shoe the week before Morven Horse Trials in Virginia. Yeah, I know. So what. He threw a shoe. That doesn't count as an injury. Just keep with me. 

     Will tacked his shoe back on for me (he pulled it when doing flat work), and three days later, we were going on our last ride Thursday morning before leaving for Virginia on Friday. Since I was doing a trot set with Kaitlynn and he had previously pulled a shoe a month or so ago on a trot set, I decided to put bell boots on him. Knowing my luck, my horse would pull his second shoe this week and THE DAY before leaving. Boy, do I know my luck like the back of my hand. 

     Little did I know, my horse is so talented that he can not only pull a shoe while wearing bell boots (their sole purpose for existing), but he can also do it the day before we leave. 

     This time, however, the poor man only pulled one side off and somehow managed to step on the toe clip (for those who don't know, it is part of the shoe that comes up on the side of the hoof in the shape of a triangle to help keep it on and secure). He went completely three-legged lame, and I pulled him up and jumped off. 

     At first I thought he just pulled a shoe again, but it wasn't until I picked his foot up off the ground that I noticed the toe clip completely lodged in his foot. Being my horse, he slammed his foot back down because he is incapable of balancing on three legs. I picked it up again, noticing it had started to bleed, and brought forth my death grip. Stoney apparentley came to the logic reasoning in his mind that since it hurt to put his foot down and he couldn't balance on three legs, it would be much easier to go completely down on the ground (fully tacked I might add) while I held on to his foot. 

     By this point, I didn't care if I ripped off half his hoof wall while trying to pull the shoe off that was still half way on. I just wanted the toe clip out of his foot. All the while this was going on, Benn is looking completely wide eyed trying to figure out what is going on while Kaitlynn is calling Jasmine and Will. 

     Once I got the shoe off, Stoney was fine and we embarked on our walk back to the barn while Kaitlynn finished her trot set. She still had 26 minutes left of our 30 minute trot.  We got so far. 

     I showed Nat and Will,  and they had me Butte him and wrap his foot after cleaning it.

     Now, my luck gets even better. Trust me. (That was completely sarcastic by the way). After taking care of Stoney, I went and called Jay, our farrier, to see if he could get out that afternoon since we were leaving in the morning and Will didn't feel comfortable putting the shoe back on with the hole in his foot. Jay was out of town, so he gave me his back up farrier to get a hold of. What would you know. That farrier was out of town as well. Don't worry, there's more.

     Our plan was to get his shoe on immediately when we pulled up to Morven Horse Park on Friday and Will work with me Friday afternoon. When calling the secretary to see if the farrier would be ready when we arrived, she said he would be out there tomorrow but was on call today. Long story short, I called him. He couldn't put it back on until morning. He called a friend who also could not get out there Friday evening. Seriously? I have an unlucky disease. I'm hoping there's a cure before I move up to prelim.

     Thursday afternoon when Nat and I were picking out stalls, I mentioned to her that there is a bright side to all this. When I leave here, I will know how to handle practically anything that goes wrong with my horse. She just laughed and said, your riding may not come far, but you'll be able to fix and handle anything!

     Will had me jog Stoney Friday morning (or at least attempt to since he was full of himself and taking off with me), and said he was sound to go this weekend. So by 10:15 we were loaded and on the road to Leesburg, VA.

     Stoney and I got to ride in style in the motor coach all the way there. This thing is as tall and long as an eighteen wheeler, but that did not stop Will from passing everyone on the interstate and going eighty. I can't complain though because my horse came off the ramp looking better than ever. It was quite humorous though when we got stuck in traffic 5 miles from the horse park and seeing everyone stare at our motor coach in awe as they passed. I found myself so amused that I started counting the amount of people who were staring. Yes, I know. Kinda pathetic, but I had floated into a state of boredom.

     If I could describe the weekend in one word, I would use miserable. It was 43 degrees (felt like 38 degrees according to the weather channel app) with pouring rain and 20 mph winds. I honestly did not see the sun all weekend.

     Once we arrived after five, Kaitlynn and I hit the ground running, getting the four horses settled in (mine, her baby going novice, and two of Will's horses) and did not stop until about nine at night. We slept in the motor coach and were back at it at 5 30 the next morning. Hooray for being a working student. We were actually stalled across from Boyd Martin and his crew so that was pretty surreal getting to meet him. We actually forgot Will's vest back at the farm in all the hastiness of trying to leave Friday morning (oops), and Boyd, being good friends with Will, let him borrow his.

     My first ride time wasn't until 10:15, but when doing morning chores for four horses, having to check in, get my horse's shoe on, studs in, AND be on by 9:15 since he hadn't been in work for the past two days, that did not leave me with as much time as I was hoping.

     It was pouring rain when I got out to dressage warm up, and I didn't realize how soggy the ground had already become from the riders warming up that morning. My smaller grass tips were struggling to do their job, and I quickly realized I needed bigger studs. Will was out there on Peanut because they were still running the preliminary division when I was out, so he gave me pointers as he was trotting by.

     Stoney didn't actually settle in and I didn't really get the amazing movements I did out of him until well after Will had left, and it was when we had to switch areas when getting closer to my time that things unfortuantely started to fall apart. The warm up area was total crap, and the uneven ground did not help my always unorganized horse. Not to mention my arena was on grass and on the side of a hill. Really? I felt it was one of our worst tests other than the fact that Stoney picked up all his transitions spot on at the letters and came back really well after his lengthenings. Apparently the judge saw something I didn't and gave me a score of 37.3, our best and lowest score to date. Until this weekend, Stoney and I had never even broken into the 30s and our best score was a 40.0. I read Will the comments of the judge, saying "horse tight in neck and tight in back." Will just laughed and said, "Yeah, tell us something we don't know."

     I then went to walk (actually run) my cross country course in the rain for the first time (still in soaking wet clothes), just trying to figure out where I was supposed to go. My map got soaking wet as well and ended up soggy and torn by fence 13, resulting in me just having to wander around and hope I could find the next fence.

     When about half way around my course, I called Kaitlynn, explaining how I had to be on in a half hour and I still hadn't finished walking the course nor walked my stadium (which I was doing twenty minutes before cross country) and asked her if she could put bigger studs on Stoney or tack him up for me. She said she didn't feel comfortable putting his studs in but that she'd get him ready for me.

     I got back to the barn fifteen minutes before I was supposed to be on my way to stadium warm up (still not having walked the course) to find that Kaitlynn had his studs in and was tacking him up for me. She was such a life saver, let me tell you.

     Will met me in warm up, and since they hadn't started the training division yet (I was the third to go), I jumped off and walked my course as he held Stoney in the rain for me.

     A soggy and messy warm up arena plus huge studs my horse had never worn before plus the weather I described earlier led to a very hot horse who was quite full of himself. Every time I asked for a transition to canter, he did his "dolphining" thing he does, and every time Will told me to walk in between him adjusting the fences, there was no walking. It was either trotting or jigging. A horse came cantering up behind him once I finally got him to walk and he practically jumped on top of them. On the bright side, I got to meet Philip Dutton who was riding a youngster. He laughed and said to me, "someone is a little excited today," and I laughed and said, "Only a little." I'm not even exaggerating when I say that everyone in warm up was attempting to avoid my horse and I.

     Will was very happy with my show jumping round, and we left up every pole. It was quite a tough course as well, consisting of a wide triple bar with only four strides to a skinny, an upright vertical with a pretty decent size liver pool underneath, and some tight in and outs. Will then said he would go out on cross country to see me go.

     Because the footing was so terrible, Will told me earlier when getting ready to not even put my watch on. Making time on this course was not something to focus on. It was more about just trying to survive with the terrible footing and just to get around in one piece. His last second advice was to gallop in between fences, but to give myself plenty of time to set up for the fences because it would take more time to balance with the terrible footing.

     Let me just say, Stoney was great, yet again, on cross country. The combinations were VERY technicle and difficult for training level (I had two skinny fences that were on a bending line with only one stride between) and he handled all of them quite well, even when I did not do my best getting him to the fence correctly. Lately, I've been collecting him TOO much for the combinations, worrying he'll blow past it if I don't and end up getting him into a canter used for show jumping instead of cross country. I did the same thing to practically all the combinations but Stoney was quick to listen to me when I pushed him up to the second element to make up for jumping in too small, and he took care of it, doing exactly what I asked of him.

     We had a stop at our coffin complex, an A B C combination with a ditch, two strides to a roll top, and two strides to another roll top, all in a straight line. I did exactly what Will was making me not do in show jumping warm up, which was shorten my reins and get him tight in the neck. Doing this, he gets tight in his back, and he gets unbalanced within a split second. As I came around the turn in the process of setting up for the combination, I did just that. When getting unbalanced, it caused him to slip. By this point we were two strides from the combination and he was just honest in saying, "there's no way I can do this Mom. I'm all over the place," and ran out to the left.

     When I explained it to Will, he said not to worry too much about the refusal and that it was just a mistake on my part that I otherwise would have most likely gotten away with, but since the ground was slippery, it came back to bite me. He said everything else he saw (he was standing at the water complex), looked great.

     After being tied for 9th after dressage and 5th after show jumping, we ended up finishing in 8th place out of 18. All in all I was very proud of the weekend, even if it was utterly miserable.

     It wasn't until about 5o'clock that afternoon that I was able to change into dry clothes. Oh yeah. It was great.

     Sunday was a lot more laid back. Kaitlynn was scheduled to ride all three of her phases, so I was in charge of getting Andy, Will's intermediate level horse, ready for cross country as well as taking care of his preliminary level horse, Peanut, even though he wasn't competing that day. Although Kaitlynn set out all of Andy's tack that he would wear and Will instructed me on the studs he would wear, I got to be in charge of getting him ready as well as taking care of him after which was quite a great feeling. I really enjoyed it, even if Andy did try and kill me that morning after breakfast (he tends to be grumpy in the mornings).

     Being around Will all weekend also made it less awkward between us. Since it was only us three, he was forced to interact with me more (ha) so we got over our awkward phase. 

     Let me just say, I have never had a trainer who sings Adele in the car, randomly walks into the tack room singing Katy Perry, and says things such as "Let's blow this popsicle stand." And this guy is turning 30 this month. He's quite a character to say the least. And as for the singing, he does it ALL THE TIME. Whether there is music or not does not matter. At least when there is music, he sings the entire song. If there is no music, he just sings the same line over and over again, which can get quite annoying really fast. I often wish I could tell him to switch to a different show tune. He loves those.

     Continuing even further, Monday morning our vet, Tom came out, and we did our weekly jog of all the horses. Stoney was dead lame, even at the walk, when I pulled him up from the paddock that morning and when pulling him out of his stall for Tom. He took some hoof testers to him and after showing him where the toe clip went into his foot, he took the testers to his foot and once he came around to the side of the injury, Stoney tried to yank his foot away from him. The poor guy was in some serious pain.

     Tom gave me some antibiotics to give him twice a day and said to give him a few days off, wait to see what happens, and that he'll call me each day to check in. As well as antibiotics, he has been having his foot soaked for 20 minutes twice a day in magnesium sulfate....or this thing called epsom salt. Magnesium sulfate is just more fun to say, I think. What can I say, I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to my like for chemistry.

     With it only being the day after Tom came out, Stoney looked a lot better. He is no longer lame at the walk, and when Nat checked his foot this morning, she said it is looking a lot better. Looks like all the soaking is really helping. Hopefully the wound won't result in an abscess, something Tom was sure might happen. At this point, we'll just take it day by day.

     I'm not too worried, or at least I'm telling myself not to be. Since my next event isn't for three weeks, Tom and Will both aren't too worried. Will said, "With as fast as they go lame, they go sound again just as fast." Also, seeing how incredibly fit my horse was after this weekend, I'm not too worried with his time off before Chattahoochee Hills in Georgia. 

     In the meantime, I am only riding the horses that came in from Maryland a little over a week ago. Billy did not leave a great first impression in that he tried throwing me off the second I got in the saddle and then tried again as well when hacking him. William is over 18 hands and spooks at everything, but I don't mind him much. I'd rather have a horse throw me off because he spooks than a horse throw me off for no purpose at all. Each time I've pulled another horse out of their stall, Stoney pokes his head out of his and looks at me quite confused as to why I'm not riding him. He's such a pleaser.

     Anyway, enough with this ridiculously long post. I'm really trying to get better at making them shorter, but it just doesn't seem to be working. I'll get it real soon, though. Bear with me!

Experiencing the sun again after the gloomy weather in Virginia!

The Wise Words of Sam Witwicky

     No surprise that being away from home, a spoiled, teenage brat would suddenly realize how great her life back home was and how thankful she is. So, after being here for almost two months now, I couldn't help but jot down a list of all I have realized I am thankful for, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Watch out. Crazy things are happening.

1. My own room.

2. DVR on my t.v. (a huge one for me). Believe it or not, not having a DVR makes you eat more food. Proven fact I've encountered.

3. Home cooked meals (the closest I've come to one of those since being here is tacos and hamburger helper).

4. Having so many great friends I could call up any time who'd be willing to do something with a girl who always seemed to be gone.

6. Going to the high school football games.

5. Being able to watch movies, Razorback games, and t.v. shows in the living room with my family. (I secretly enjoyed cheesy family bonding times and these were perfect ways to make it seem nonchalant and just a coincidence.)

6. Being able to run in the exercise room and in front of a tv as I watched my most recent recorded show. (Running outside is something I've never been fond of and now am forced to endure.)

7. Having a television in the kitchen. (I always thought it was somewhat overkill having one there, but trying to cook (pancakes and hamburger helper are the extent) and watch t.v. in the living room is very, very difficult.)

8. Having cats that DON'T tear up everything they find or that don't lay on my clothes. (Ha, gotta love the cats here.)

9. Having my loyal dog by my side, whether outside, in the barn, or in my room. I miss her a great deal.

10. Being able to drive 25 minutes to visit my dad and stepmother any time I had the time and want to see them.

11. The crazy dachshund we call a part of our family.

     This may look like a pointless list to some, but to me it means everything. 

    To be completely honest, I did not think that I would miss my family and friends this much, and I did not believe too many people would miss me all that much as well. Of course, like almost always, I was completely wrong. Family was definitely something I took for granted. The great packages my mom sends me from time to time always make my day and a weekly phone call from my worried dad who continuously tells me to "be safe" are nice though.

     As for friends, I honestly didn't think I would miss them so much do to the fact I seemed to have hardly anything in common with anyone this past year at the high school. Due to my work load being incredibly heavy and my year competing Stoney being so crucial, I found myself stressed and tired a lot of the time. Although I tried desperately to be someone people wanted to be around, I felt like others didn't care either way as to whether or not I was around. I even found out at the end of the year I apparently had people just pretending to be my friend. How pathetic can that make a person feel? All you have to do is ask me. Because I was told by one person that people who don't necessarily know me tend to think I'm stuck up, I believed that everyone I knew perceived me in this way. I have never meant to come off as stuck up, but after having friends for such a long time who weren't all that interested in what I do, I finally excepted it this past year and didn't care that they didn't care. If that makes any sense at all. I guess that's why some got that from me. I thought most just saw me as "oh that girl who rides horses." Until I got here, I didn't realize there was more underlying all of the friendships I obtained. Although I was gone all the time, I enjoyed so much being around them and spending time with such great people, even if they didn't quite understand my passion. Once I was here for a few weeks and started getting texts and wall post on Facebook from my friends I left behind, I realized there were some who actually missed me. Crazy huh? I honestly teared up when I got a text from a friend (who I didn't see myself as too close to this past year) saying that things weren't the same without me there. I even have weekly phone conversations with a great girl who keeps me updated on all that is going down in Cabot, and I love hearing from her every week.

     Long story short, I didn't realize how many great people and things I was leaving behind. That's all it is.

     Don't get me wrong. I really do like it here and have learned so much in just the short time I've been here. Literally my first week here my brain was filled with more knowledge than I could have ever expected. I've learned how to better my horse's fitness, realized what type of food is best to build his weight/keep it on, and other great things a rider looking to go prelim should know. I have such a great facility to ride at with endless places to hack and trot.

     However, through it all, it has made me realize that my life at home, the one that I secretly couldn't wait to get away from, was far better than I ever realized. I took it all for granted and I wish every day it was as easy to see my friends and family as it was when living back home.

     Although the girls are great, it's quite lonely here, and I can't wait to visit home. Since Will was in England all summer and the girls didn't get to visit home for a week like they are usually offered (once in the summer and once in the winter), they are hoping Will will give them two weeks this winter to visit home, which can be split up in any which way (a few days at Thanksgiving and a few days at Christmas). I'm hoping this applies for me as well, but a part of me thinks it won't since I haven't been here too long.

     Everyday, I still tell myself I'm crazy for sacrificing so much for this goal. Like the incredible Sam Witwicky and his father said, "No sacrifice. No victory." I know that if I wasn't here, I wouldn't be seeing Stoney and myself moving up to prelim this soon. I can remember my mother mentioning it in the weeks leading up to leaving for Will's, and I just brushed it off thinking it was a fat chance. Looks like that incredibly corpulent chance has made its way to me.

     When coming here, my plan was to not move up to prelim until spring. It's beginning to look like God has a plan for me that I myself was not ready for. All I can do at this point is roll with it, because he has reminded me yet again that he knows way more at this point than I do and always will.

Interesting Recap of Five Points

     Stoney and I FINALLY got to compete at our first horse trials here this past weekend! Before I go on to describe how our interesting weekend played out, I would first like to apologize for not posting anything sooner. Seeing as we haven't competed at all, there wasn't much to talk about. I'm not even kidding. Each day of working on the farm kind of blurs together and I seem to lose track of time. We did, however, have two lessons with Bobby Costello (one show jumping and one cross country) which were really exciting, but for the most part, it's just been daily riding and lots of barn work and yard work.
     Again, before describing this past weekend, let me just say that the fact that we even competed and Stoney was sound was quite a feat on our part. This horse has gotten hurt four times now in the month and a half I've been here. I find this ironic when I had him at my house for a year and a half and he never had an injury. The only episode we seemed to have was when he got cast in the stall at Feather Creek Horse Trials, and even then he was not hurt and competed that weekend. What I also find ironic is how every time his injuries have happened, they have been within the week leading up to the show. He bumped his knee the week before a dressage show, he got caught in the fence and scraped up his leg two days before leaving for Waredaca H.T. in Maryland, and then he bumped his right front leg and got a splint on his left front doing God knows what the week before Five Points, the horse show we went to this weekend. Our vet, Tom, just said to take it day by day all week, with the splint hopefully healing well and not giving him problems, as well as icing it non stop, especially after riding. Every day this past week I kept holding my breath when we jogged Stoney each morning, hoping he was sound and mostly hoping he wouldn't find a way to hurt himself yet again before the show. Like I said, the fact that we were able to go and actually compete was a major ordeal.
      When walking the cross country course Friday night, I couldn't help but think of how every question on the training level course was something Stoney and I were more than capable of doing and were questions we'd either schooled or were already asked of us previously at another show. Height really isn't an issue with this horse. It's the combinations and more difficult questions asked of him that we are focusing more on. I also couldn't help but eye the prelim fences, thinking of how they looked quite fun and do-able for Stoney and I. This feeling that you get, the one where the level above you looks fun and the level you're riding looks boring and not challenging enough, is the feeling you get when you're looking to move up and almost ready to. Until this past weekend, I had not ever experienced this feeling while competing Stoney. It was only with Remi that I ever felt that we were ready for prelim. I can remember six months ago seeing preliminary level fences and thinking to myself, "There's no way Stoney could do something like that right now. We would probably both die." Boy how things have changed and in such a short time.
     Saturday morning started very early for us working students, and by early I mean up at 4 am (that's 3 am for all you back in central time zone) and out in the barn by five to take care of all the horses so we could leave for the horse park by six. It's only twenty minutes away, so we trailered out both days and the horses just relaxed in the four horse. I decided to get on Stoney an hour before my dressage time, seeing as he was a total butthead the previous morning when I tried to go through my dressage test, and I thought it best to almost just wear him out. Of course though, I would go out there an hour early only for me to pick up the reins after fifteen minutes of walking and him be a perfect angel the second I started putting him to work. I swear, this horse was game and ready to show his stuff. Even that morning on the trailer, he was a nousance and pawing the whole time. The second I got him out and began to saddle him, he stood still, got serious, and didn't even blow his gut out to prevent me from tightening the girth. He knew it was game time. So back to dressage warm up, like I said, such a perfect boy. I let him take a break since we still had a while, and as I began to pick him up again as we were getting closer, our amazing movement we contained previously had slipped away. With Stoney, he can either be extremely green/ADD/inexperienced acting on some days and extremely mature/incredible on other days. He started to revert back to his inexperienced self, whereas I would put my leg on only for greater impulsion, not speed, and he would squirt out from under neath me. However, instead of reverting back to my initial reaction of getting all handsy, resulting in him inverting and not moving forward with relaxation, I worked through it and got him back where he needed to be. Granted, it wasn't as amazing and effortless looking as it had looked previously, it was still better and acceptable. We ended up having a very exceptional test and pulled out a solid 40.0. After I saluted and thanked the judge, she complimented me on my horse, saying how he's "the kind of horse you like to see in the eventing world." I then thanked her again for her generous comment and she replied, "No, thank you." Seeing as I had the judge on my side, I had a feeling we would be placed well, and we were. We were 11th out of 30 riders after dressage. We didn't finish in the top five (which is our current goal at the moment), but I'd say that is pretty awesome for our first show back since June and our first time competing against these hard core east coast riders.
     So before cross country, I ended up having an unfortunate mishap which resulted in a black eye and two deep cuts on my face. Only a handful of people know exactly what happened, and I plan to keep it that way. I refuse to say what actually happened, but the EMTs gave me the okay to ride and then checked me once again before letting me go on course. With this happening only an hour before me needing to be on, I honestly didn't even want to go to the EMTs because I felt I had more important things that needed to be done. After seeing how deep the cuts really were and Jaz offering to take Stoney's braids out for me, I reluctantly went to have it looked at.
     Stoney and I started our course with him cross cantering and completely discombobulated all the way to the first fence, then landing on the wrong lead as we had to make a U-turn to fence two. I did, however, get a flying lead change out of him (: The course road quite well and I'd say half our jumps road well. The other half, however, didn't due to the fact that I couldn't see distances to save my life. I was either having to push him up to the longer one, holding my breath and hoping he'd jump from further away and not try to add, or I'd have to add and get really close to the base of the fence, just keeping my leg on the whole way til his feet left the ground. Not being able to find any distances could have had something to do with my previous injury to the head only a half hour before. Going out on course, I decided no matter where we got to the fence, I would just keep my leg on the whole way. Doing this, we would most likely be okay no matter how we got to the fence. We ended up having a stop at the water, but it was completely and totally my fault. It was a combination of a log with two strides after to a drop bank into the water. I rode it aggressively, just not as aggressively as I should have knowing my horse likes to peak at water. I just wasn't there for less than a split second, and that's all it took for Stoney to question it and refuse. The second approach, he had no hesitation what so ever and did not mind jumping in, another indication it was me and not the horse. What brings me frustration though is that literally a week ago with our cross country schooling with Bobby, we did the EXACT combination, a wooden coop with two strides down the bank into the water. After not having seen a cross country fence since the first weekend in June, I approached the combination and Stoney went in, only with slight hesitation. Obviously, another indication it was me and not the horse. Of course when I say it frustrates me, I mean I have frustration towards myself, not Stoney. And with my dumb slip up at our bank complex earlier on in the course, we could have easily had two refusals on course. Our 6th jump on course was an up bank (this being after a pheasant feeder and approached on a left turn) with a pretty decent size wooden roll top two strides after. Like I said, I couldn't find a distance to save my life. At the time, I didn't feel going for the long on this pretty decent bank was the way to go, so I added to make sure we really got to the base, only for me to have taken all his impulsion away from him. Way to go me. As soon as I got to the base, I knew there was no way we would get to the roll top in two strides and we'd have to add another step, resulting in a stop. I kept my leg on and kept riding as Stoney added three strides in the two strided combination. To my complete surprise and amazement, the horse ended up jumping the roll top practically from a stand still and pretty much crawled over it. I could not believe he had the dedication and made the decision to go for it even after I had completely failed him as a rider. He truly saved us, and I still can't believe he was so mature as to do something like that.
     After being exceptionally proud of my horse and extremely pissed at myself, my Saturday ended with me sitting in the ER for five hours that night while I waited for the doctor to glue the cuts on my face. Seeing at Kaitlyn still had to run Dudley that afternoon, I didn't get to the ER til around 5:30 (about four hours after my little incident). The cuts sliced completely through the skin and the white soft tissue could be seen. Thankfully, that was not torn and I did not need stitches. However, I now have two permanent scars that will be residing on my face for the rest of my life. What a thrill. I guess they give me more character.
     After getting home from the ER at 10:30, Sunday morning started yet again at 4 am for me and we were out at the horse park early and at it again. I got to kick myself yet again when I went to look at the scores that morning. If I had not made my stupid mistake the previous day and we had made it around with a clean cross country round, Stoney and I would have been in 5th place out of 30 going into show jumping. That was quite unfathomable for me and hard to take in. Our dressage was finally coming along and it was crazy to believe we would have been in the ribbons going into the final phase off our dressage score alone. I was so proud of my big man.
     After having a great warm up, Stoney jumped his heart out for me. We ended up having two rails, but both were mine. Coming out of a turn for fence five, a pretty decent size oxer with a related distance after to a vertical, I knew I would either have to push him up to the distance I saw (most likely resulting in him getting flat and hitting the front rail and also landing big and too fast to the next fence), or wait for it. I decided to wait and we just got a bit too close. He tried desperately but just couldn't leave the front rail up. After having to make a needed and huge jumping effort over another oxer, fence eight, we had yet another related distance to a skinny. I knew that it would be a miracle if we would even make it to the fence, let alone leave it up. Stoney, however, went for it, but the poor guy just wasn't put together enough (thanks to me) to jump it properly and the rail went down. Both of our in and outs, however, he really showed his maturity and improvement in leaving the rails up. He has finally gotten the hang of rocking his weight back onto his haunches before the fences in order to jump in a better frame and leave the rails up. We had no rails that were "just because" or his fault and I was so proud of the effort he put out. Like I said, he came out with his game face on. Even after the announcer shared our quite embarrassing amount of penalties we had racked up over the weekend, I came out smiling and quite happy. A random stranger standing near the ring complimented my round, saying it was well ridden and my horse was such a good boy. It only takes a few minutes of seeing a horse go to see if it is a nice mover, a great jumper, and has a good heart. I guess this lady was able to see how great my horse is. Without being biased in any way (ha, what a lie),I say she only saw a glimpse of how great a horse I have. <3
     The other girls also had really great weekends. Kaitlynn had a great cross country run on Benn as they made their second attempt at a prelim. Unfortunately, he was a little lame after and she withdrew to give him time off until the AECs. She had a successful novice round on her new baby she got only two weeks ago and managed to only disassemble a cross country fence and hit one stadium rail. All three of us counted that as a success! Haha Then Jaz finished in 4th in her prelim division on Pata, making for a great weekend before going to her one star at Plantation in a few weeks. Although on the ride back to the farm none of us said a word due to complete and utter exhaustion, we were all extremely happy with how the weekend played out.
     Even though it was not one of the best competitions for Stoney and I, I can honestly say it is definitely towards the top of the list with the proudest weekends of my horse's performance. It's nice to know that every mishap we had, every rail, was all because of me. None of the rails or refusals were his fault for a change. It's a great feeling knowing that now that my horse has improved and grown up so much, I just have to focus on myself more. This weekend, he showed for the first time that he craved for a great performance as much as I did. Not only did he show great maturity, a maturity that I have never seen come out in him, but he showed a great deal of heart and will to win. He got serious, down to work, and showed his stuff. At the end of the day, there is nothing more a rider can ask of their horse.

"One day, real soon, you're gonna win it"

     It's hard to believe I've been in North Carolina for almost two weeks now. Still, it hasn't been long enough for me to get completely into the routine of things here. It's like having to pick up an entire new lifestyle and familiar routine, one completely different than the one I've known.
     Although I am really enjoying it, I still can't get over how lost I feel every time I get in my vehicle to go into town. None of the radio commercials are familiar, nor are the stations, the broadcasters, and the traffic updates. I've managed to find four radio stations that are worth listening to; two country, one mainstream, and one mixed station. Besides the few people on the farm, I literally know no body. It's a lonesome feeling, but I'm sure it will subside, at least a little, once I know my way around a bit better. You think little things like that, things you don't even stop to give a second to think about during the day, wouldn't effect you too much when in a new place, but you'll be surprised. Back at home, I can travel all around town, not even giving my full attention to where I'm going, and before I know it end up at the place I wanted to go all along. Here, I've had to be very careful about that, because being the spacey person I am, I'll end up lost after missing a turn.
     As for Stoney, he is really settling in and fitting into the program really well. Since we've gotten here, he's had one day off? Sounds right. Nat was quick to see through his "illusionist" skills and faking engaging his hind end, so now every time he is worked, we are paying close attention that he is ACTUALLY using his hind end. Already, he is developing more muscle, or at least gaining back what he got when in Texas and lost when brought back home. His schedule consists of lots of flat work, lots of hacks with hill work, and trot sets. Did I mention that we're on the edge of the wildlife preserve? There are thousands of acres with tons of trails and hills to hack/trot on. It's insane. Stoney has quickly learned how to hack by himself and jog, two things he was not too skilled at before. Thankfully, we will be having a jump session tomorrow. I haven't jumped since I got here, nor the entire week before I left AR (do to heat and him overheating), so I honestly can't remember the last time he jumped. This is a reassuring fact, especially when he was down in TX jumping 5x a week. That was my needed sarcasm for the post if you didn't catch it. Anyway, I'm sure we'll jump on Saturday as well after he crashes through rails tomorrow. We'll just have to see. Maybe the baby brain has matured, but I'm afraid even his new found maturity won't be able to hold back his excitement. He just loves to jump.
     Added note: Nat is ridiculously found of Stoney. She has ridden him a few times now and loves how he knows all the "party tricks" and is a pleasure to ride. He really listens and with the exception of his ADD days (he's already had one of those here), he wants to honestly please all the time. She is in love with his personality and "very excited" to work with him were her words. She mentioned how she typically doesn't like dealing with other people's horses and only likes her own, but she said Ernie (of course) and Stoney are ones she really likes. And let me say it only took a day for Nat to start coming up with nick names for my man, including The Stone, Stone Monster, Stoner, and many other names she calls him that are inappropriate to repeat. If that wasn't enough, even the chiropractor loved him. When I jogged him for her she said my horse enchanted her and that he was a gorgeous mover. She even mentioned that when she sees him competing at Kentucky in a few years, she'll be able to say she did work on him. Ha. Nat even mentioned how I would be one of few who they wouldn't have to break the news to about needing to sell their horse and find a more athletic/talented horse to compete on. I can't wait for Will to see him. And the best thing about it all? He is the only grey horse at the farm, so he actually holds a little uniqueness. Even at Mike's farm in Texas, he just added to the grey club and became the fourth grey at his farm. I don't know what it is about grey horses, but it seems like all are owned/ridden by people in Area V and they're all competing training level. At Greenwood, there were six other greys besides mine in warm up with me. When I mentioned this to Jasmine, she was quite surprised there were so many, so maybe Stoney will possess a little uniqueness when competing over here. 
     So far, Stoney has gotten chiropractic work done, his feet done, and is quite happy. The vet, Tom, comes out once a week and we jog all the horses in work for him to keep an eye on and monitor. Shocking how Stoney would bump his knee in the pasture the third night here and it swell up to three times its normal size. However, never did he become lame nor was it tender, which was a very reassuring sign. Nine out of ten times, a horse will be lame if his injury is serious. After x-rays and being safe there was no damage to the bones, we decided to work to get the pocket of fluid in the front of his knee as small as possible before eventually having to stick a needle in it to drain. Thankfully, there is no fluid in the joint so it does not interfere with his range of movement nor will it cause problems in the future. It's just the weirdest thing. Like I said, leave it to Stoney. So as you can see, he has become quite accustomed to jogging and in a short time.
     So now I should probably get to the spectacular and  positive news that I bring to this post. Stoney and I went to a combined test at the Carolina Horse Park on Sunday with Nat, and he scored the best dressage score he's ever gotten. I know judges tend to give higher scores at combined tests than at actually events, but it was definitely the best test we've ever ridden, not even regarding the score. We got a 70, which would have translated to low thirties or high twenties in eventing terms. Pretty crazy when I haven't even been able to break into the thirties with Stoney in the year and a half I've been eventing him. The main difference was that he was more supple and was freely moving forward more with more impulsion from behind, as well as staying quite relaxed (for a thoroughbred) and the judges definitely recognized that. Nat was thrilled with it and when I came out of the arena, she told me, "one day, real soon, you're gonna win it." Even though it was extremely hot and I kept wondering why the heck I was out there, it was great for Nat to be able to see what we need to work on with our actual dressage test, like corners and better accuracy. With having a monster horse, who at any second if feeling like it could jump out of the arena, getting us eliminated (which he has tried once), I am a bit timid about getting deep into the corners of the arena and making corners my helpful friends.
     As for more great news, I mentioned to Nat about running a few prelims before the end of this fall and she acts as if she thinks it's a possibility. Of course, she hasn't seen us jump yet, but dressage is by far our weakest phase, and she's already turned that around in a week. She can't believe the progress Stoney and I are making together so fast. However, she said that she wants to wait until Will gets back this fall and works with me before letting me move on up to preliminary.
     As far as the place itself, the farm is beautiful. This state has no dirt whatsoever. At least I haven't witnessed any yet. It's all sand, which makes for great footing because even though it has rained EVERY DAY in the afternoon since I got here, there is never any mud. The arena is still perfect footing.
     As for North Carolina drivers, they are crazy and quite terrible. The occasional person you encounter back home on the interstate who cuts you off, tailgates you, or is just a complete idiot is how every single person is here. You would think they'd have more respect for horse trailers as well, but they have less respect than Arkansans. I can say this and not offend anyone from my farm seeing how Will is from Texas, Jasmine is from Iowa, Kaitlynn from Louisiana, and Nat from Australia. Literally no one is actually from North Carolina themselves, which is ironic.
     Well I've been quite exhausted every day being here. That's mostly why I haven't blogged at all. Usually when I get inside, I eat a late lunch and am usually napping before having to go out and feed at four. I've left the apartment twice, once going to Walmart and the other going to Chilis one night with Jasmine and her boyfriend, Max. It hasn't bothered me too much, mostly because I'm always tired and don't care to do anything anyway. Not knowing absolutely anybody is also a leading factor as well.
     As for the near future? We have a horse show in Maryland that Kaitlynn, Jasmine, and I are going to in a little over two weeks. Three weeks after that I am taking Stoney to an event at the Carolina Horse Park as well. I can't wait to see how he does (:
     We all have goals written up on the board. Kaitlynn's was to make cross country time on Ben (which she accomplished not too long ago), Jasmine's was to qualify for her one star on Pata (which she did) and is now trying to place well at AECs on O'livia. Will's is to win Burghley. We decided mine should be to place in the top five after dressage. That's a pretty nerve racking goal for Stoney and I! Once I've accomplished that, my next will be to successfully complete a prelim this fall, and then after that to qualify for the Junior Young Rider team for Area V for the one star. Nat agreed with my idea that once I go to Young Riders next summer competing at the one star level, my next thing to focus on would be to qualify for the two star team the following summer. I'm pretty excited with how bright my future looks (:
     I apologize for such a long blog, but when I've put it off for so long and had so many things happening, I couldn't help but write a book. Sooooo much has happened in such little time. I'll try to be better with posting more and shorter ones at that!

A Red Tongue Vs. a Hefty Marshmallow

     It's safe to say that the summer heat has finally arrived, and it has started to take its toll on not just Stoney but me as well. If I was excited about going to NC earlier, after this past week, I am even more excited now to be able to get away from this heat. It's hard to believe their average highs are about five to ten degrees lower than ours here, mostly because they have gotten more rain than we have. Yes, I'm absolutely green with envy.

     Personally, I prefer riding in the winter than the summer. I know there are many who would object, but besides having limited hours of daylight to ride and the horses' fluffy/constantly dirty coats, there really aren't any negative aspects. At least with being cold, you can always layer on more clothes to stay warm. I have no problem looking like a fat, hefty marshmallow on my horse. In the summer, you just sweat profusely until your clothes are soaked. I can't even go out and clean two stalls without being drenched when I come back inside after fifteen or twenty minutes. Can you say ridiculous? I'd rather blanket my horses every night then deal with all the flies/horse flies. But again, that's just me. I think most riders will agree that they would much rather not have to get up early every morning to ride their horse before the heat starts to dominate the day. Where I live, the only tolerable times to ride in the summer are before nine in the morning and after seven in the afternoon. It takes all my will to make myself get up consistently and ride that early when rather I could sleep in.

     Backing off my little rant of how I basically despise summer (which can't be helped much when living in the south), these past few days I've seen the heat really start to affect my horse. About a week ago I could tell he was a bit more lethargic when jumping, but these past few days, which happen to be the hottest days this year, have been extremely difficult. I guess it makes just a bit of sense that these record breaking highs would have an effect. 

     After checking Stoney's TPRs yesterday (because he was hyperventilating in an attempt to cool himself), I was surprised that his temperature came out as low as it did, reading at 101.0. His pulse was his average at rest as well, being at 36. My main concern I've been having is his respiration, which is 76-80 and is around what his working respiration should be. He's constantly hyperventilating and huffing, and it just is not something a horse owner wants to see. And just a side note though, for all of those who have every faked their horse's average TPR at rest and at work, either for a health and maintenance book or for a rally in PC (I blatantly admit I was one of them), it will be situations like this when knowing your horse's normal TPRs and if your horse's norm is below or above the average rates that will actually pay off. These are the situations that I appreciate having been in Pony Club and being an HB in horse management. 

     However, I now have the pleasure of getting to go out and check on/sponge Stoney every two hours. This is mostly due to the fact that once his water buckets have become half empty, the genius has picked up the new habit of grabbing the bucket with his teeth and tossing the water everywhere in an attempt to cool himself off. Not only does he ruin his bedding as a result, but I'm having to constantly go out and refill his water buckets. I don't know why he tries to pull off his innocent and unknowing face when he's standing there looking at me, the evidence having drenched his face and still dripping off his nose. What I don't understand even more however is what fascinates him so much about picking things up with his mouth and flinging them all over the place. He tends to do this every chance he gets, and after a year of it, it seems his water buckets have become the next victim.

     For the past three days now, the horse has been getting a tube of electrolytes shoved up his mouth once day, sponged every few hours, two fans blowing on him constantly (he had these before, so they don't necessarily count), and he is now drinking 5 gallons of red Gatorade a day, resulting in a constantly bright red tongue and mouth. Who would have thought that the picky horse, the one that will only eat apples on his good days, would end up loving Gatorade.

     Seeing him discontent and hot to the point of misery breaks me a little inside, and I honestly can't wait for him to be north east of here. I was planning on having a jump school with him before I leave, but with the weather beating him up, that looks very unlikely. I'm excited to see his face once we unload him at Gavilan farm, full of curiousness as he lifts his head and takes in his new surroundings. I'm even more eager to see him adapt to his new home and become happy and content.

     Hopefully my life will begin to become more interesting once I get to NC, and I'll have more intriguing things to type besides the unbearable weather that everyone already complains about. This won't be too long I suppose, since I will be leaving in four days. (:  Can you believe the countdown has finally made it to single digits?! ...Because I can't lol 

 Such an uplifting picture, I think. 102? And that wasn't even the high. It was still working its way up to 103 today...

 

     Four more days until I leave for the east coast? More like four more days of trying to endure and fight for survival.

Purple & Grey Look Mighty Fine

     I finally decided to give an update on how Texas Rose went. With summer school and writing an essay a week (I'm now starting on my fourth), I really haven't had too much of an urge to type more on here so forgive me. After having AP Lang Comp all year, you think I would have gotten used to all the writing but I guess when summer comes along it also brings with it a sense of laziness and no motivation. So practically a week later, I guess it's about time.

     So I had a flat lesson with Mike at about five in the afternoon last Thursday, and it was ridiculously hot. While tacking up, Mike asked if I knew my dressage test since it was different than the one I'd been doing all spring, and I lied like an idiot and said yes. His reply, "Good. We'll go over it." With that slap in the face, I paused what I was doing and looked up the test on my iPhone after he'd walked off, learning it in about five minutes, and let me just say, it showed.

     Oh, and let me just add this in real quick. I usually don't lie, especially to respected adults, so the ONE time I quickly say a teeny white lie, the stupid thing comes back to bite me in the butt. Duly noted karma. I promise you, I won't be doing it again.

     So for the next hour, it was evident I hadn't practiced the test on my horse. I could tell Mike was a little frustrated but he knew I hadn't ridden Stoney much and knew I'd have it by Saturday (especially when all we'd done was ride my test for an hour).

     It didn't take long for me to realize I wasn't feeling well after, and I just thought that it was heat exhaustion (since this has happened once before when riding with Mike) and blew it off. My body decided to tell me wrong as I ended up feeling like crap for the next twenty four hours with a stomach bug. Another punch in the face from karma? Hopefully it isn't that mean.

     I jumped the next morning and Stoney had improved drastically from not even two weeks ago when I was down before. Heather put him in a different bit and it really helped. Now he feels like a completely different horse. Scratch that. He is a completely different horse now.

     We got to the show, unpacked, and I rode again that afternoon. Stoney was dragging me around so that made for a great session. The next morning, our dressage didn't go that great. I reverted back to my old ways with riding and it showed. No, he didn't rear twice like at Greenwood, but he did leap to canter on two occasions. Oh Stoney, always having to make things interesting. The judge wrote "elegant horse, but rider needs to loosen up on the reins." Funny how when I did just that on his lengthening canter, he blew right past the letter we were supposed to trot at and didn't even trot until the next letter. He literally drug me around the entire arena. Last show, I realized we needed a stronger bit for jumping. This show, I realized we need a stronger bit for dressage because it was blatantly obvious that Stoney has no respect for the loose ring in his mouth. When I am able to get more leverage, I will finally be able to loosen up on the reins...AND then actually succeed in getting him back.

     Although it wasn't our best, I put it behind me and focused on show jumping. I get to warm up and pop over a few, then Mike has me come to a huge spread oxer. Stoney gets there on a half stride and just decides to sit on his butt and slide right into it, taking the whole thing, standards and all, down. Mike just stands there, and after a long pause goes, "Well...that was unusual of him." Tell me about it. I ended up getting a few more jumps in and went into the arena. It was like we were half way synced, if that even makes sense. I ended up with a rail and Stoney ended up with a rail. The first line I reverted back, yet again, to riding him like I used to, and we hit the front rail of the oxer that was the second fence. Stoney realized a little too late I wasn't going to save him and ended up hitting 5a. After that, the rest of the jumps when extremely well and we were finally back in sync like from the morning before. Mike honestly told me it would have been easier that weekend if I'd never even sat on Stoney before until now. Now that he has changed completely, I have to change the way I've learned to ride this horse for the past year and ride him completely different now.

Saturday: just chillin in his stall (:

     I can honestly tell you that on Saturday, I never even looked at what place I was in. All I knew was that I was probably last or next last after dressage and that because three people fell off in stadium (weird...), I'd probably move up a little even with my two rails. I knew though that I was no where near ribbon placing.

     Stoney jumped around the cross country course like it was nothing. Because it was on new land, there weren't any bank or coffin complexes built yet, just single fences with the exception of a bending AB and the water complex. Going from jumping clean at Greenwood to here wasn't all that hard. Not to mention their fences were extremely small for training. We did have a little scary moment at a small corner where Stoney decided to add once I'd gotten him up to a good stride. I swore we were gonna hit the ground, but somehow he saved himself and got over, though I'm still not sure how.

     Although it was extremely hot and the terrain was filled with huge hills, the big man never slowed and ended up coming in around twenty seconds before optimum. Sometimes I get so frustrated with his lack of technique and greenness that I forget to realize just how big his heart is and the bravery he has come to have.

     Many could say it wasn't a weekend to be that happy with, but I really was satisfied with it. The heart this horse has and the bravery he has is something that can't be taught. Technique, how he jumps, and how he carries himself can always be taught.

     The past few shows, his cross country is finally starting to come together. He's figuring it out. At this show, his show jumping finally started to see daylight, and it was a round that gave me hope that the next would be better and not leave disappointment like the one at Greenwood. He is finally getting it. Now that cross country and show jumping are finally beginning to fall into place, that leaves dressage to focus on. I feel that this bump in the road will pass with just more experience...annnddd a stronger bit. Maybe then we'll start to see daylight. Getting daily instruction and a good flat lesson at least once a week at Will's will also improve it substantially. I'm also hoping to go to Memphis for a dressage clinic with Wolfgang in a few weeks, and he ALWAYS improves our dressage. Somehow it always comes together and makes sense when training with him. And it gets even better than that. I have a two day clinic with Karen next week that I'm sure will be beneficial as well.

     My biggest fear right now is screwing Stoney up in the next four weeks until I leave for North Carolina. Mike assured me that I won't, but still, I'm scared I will. *Sigghhh* Negative thoughts are always a struggling battle. The fact that my kimberwick I ordered still hasn't come in after three days is stressing me out as well. Gahhh. I've also ordered the contraption that Heather had Stoney living in for six weeks, so if worse comes to worse, I could always just stand on the ground and lunge him in that once a week, more for my reassurance than anything.

     Oh, and did I mention that I got a ribbon? (: Seventh place baby. Heck yes. This is the first USEA event that Stoney has ribboned at. The fact that it was at training level and not novice makes it all the more better. I didn't even realize we finished in seventh until after we'd left, and I lucked out on a friend getting it for me who will be riding with me in the Karen clinic. It's safe to say this purple ribbon will be going to North Carolina with me. It's literally only a month away now! Looks like I'll only have to slave away here for four more weeks, as well as ride my horse in this terrible heat, and then it's goodbye humid Arkansas, hello North Carolina skies. Skies whose average temperature highs are about ten degrees lower than the ones here.  

First Trip to North Carolina

     As of last week, I can't get my mind off of North Carolina and I definitley can't make it focus on anything else. Going to Will Faudree's farm was incredible and I honestly can't wait until I get to move there. I decided I'd blog about my great experience there and all that I came to know while I was there. Soooo here we go.

     Wednesday afternoon, my mother and I set foot on our plane to Charlotte, NC. Because we ended up arriving at night, I was somewhat disappointed that I wasn't able to see the view of the state, but when arriving at ten o'clock at night, I honestly didn't care too much.

     Since we had to drive to Hoffman where Will's farm is located, we checked into our hotel at about one in the morning. Seven hours later I woke to get ready to go to the farm. I hardly ate anything due to my nervousness and the fact that I was finally going to meet Will and all the others on the farm. What worried me even more was the fact that I was going to ride one of his horses and not only has my riding not been consistent lately since Stoney is in Texas, but it had been a while since I rode someone's horse (as sad as that may sound, it's true). 

     When we arrived (about ten minutes early), I first met one of his working students, Kaitlyn, who I talked to and was very nice. She's from Lafayette, Louisiana so it was nice to meet another southerner. Since Nat (the barn manager and who helps Will run everything) was on the phone, mom and I went and watched Will who was out riding a horse, and it took me only a few seconds to see that this was one of his upper level horses he was riding. Then it hit me that this was Pawlow, the horse that he has been riding for four years and is trying to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Team with. I was astounded at this point.

     After talking to Nat about some things, let me just say, she is a complete riot. I began to enjoy her personality and humor right away. She reminds me a lot of Amy Conner. Soon, Will came into the barn and I was finally able to meet him. After talking with him and him asking me questions as far as what I'd done and what my goals were, he decided it was time to see me ride. He handed me the halter then said, "This is Ravi. Get him groomed and tacked up. Here ya go." I took a sigh of relief inside seeing that he wasn't going to watch my every move. Like he said, he's "not here to babysit."

     As soon as Will started working with me, he understood my riding abilities and the reassurance clicked with him of me being his working student. I got to ride this four year old gelding that was a spectacular mover and I had a blast doing some flatwork, gymnastics, and a few other fences on him. He was a pretty cool horse.

Say hello to Ravi, who I'm hoping I get to ride more once I get there :D

     Afterward, Will asked when the soonest would be that I was able to come, and since I switched my summer course to online, I told him I could come at any time. Will left for England today with a few horses, but Nat will be back as of July 15th since she does not wish to be in England all summer long. The two working students, Kaitlyn and Jasmine, are going to go over at different times, each for a week, to help him with the horses. Then Nat will go back and be there to help him with Burghley Horse Trials the first week of September. Will said that I could come as soon as Nat got back on the 15th and that her, Jasmine (who is certified in giving dressage lessons), and other trainers who Will uses, will be at his farm to help train Stoney and I while he is away.

     Hearing this, I was completely astonished and more than ready to come back here. Not only can I get into the swing of things before Will gets back, but also Stoney will not have to endure such a humid summer and I will not have to work at McDonalds until September. The world is finally coming around for me.

     As far as the apartment goes, it's attached to the barn and is two stories. It has a mud room, a full kitchen, a bedroom and full bathroom downstairs along with the living room. The upstairs loft has two, FULL size bunk beds as well as dressers, a closet, and another full bathroom. This apartment is easily about three or four times the size of a college dorm I'll most likely be living in my freshman year of college. Jasmine was extremely helpful with letting me know of things I should probably bring and that since her and Kaitlyn had been living there for two years now, they practically have everything that would be needed.

     Not only do I get to live with two, mature girls who seems extremely easy to get along with and talk to, but I will be getting to work my butt off along with riding many many different horses of Will's. I AM SO EXCITED. 

     After updating Will on my horse and what he has been doing, he said that after he sees the horse and how he is, he thinks that we should plan on competing him Training level this fall, increase his fitness over the winter, and then start qualifying for Young Riders 2012 in the Spring. I will still be riding for Area V. I wouldn't have it any other way. Living in the south eventing world for so long, I started to flip out when he said I'd only have the spring to qualify, but the great thing about the east coast is that there is a horse show every Wednesday and every weekend within a three hour radius of Will's farm. How incredible is that? Hearing of this gave me relief, but I was also glad about the fact that I do not have to rush Stoney now to move up and I think this will be really great for him.

     I can't even describe how much I am looking forward to going to North Carolina. The people I will be around are amazing and Stoney will be able to compete at so many different places it is ridiculous. With only five weeks until I leave, I have so many things I need to get, so many things I  have to do, and so many things I have to pack that I can't wrap my head around it all to even figure out where I'm supposed to begin. I guess I should focus on Texas Rose since it is only a week away at this point. Going to NC got my mind off of Stoney for a little bit and now I'm realizing I get to see him in three days (: Not only that, but he gets to come home after next weekend which is even better!