Yay for Analogies

     So I got the great opportunity to drive down to Texas this past weekend to get some lessons in on Stoney since, to my dismay, he is still down at Mike's. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited that he is down there and getting the beneficial training in that he needs, but I've missed him greatly.

     I got down there Friday afternoon after getting stuck in loads of traffic and taking a needed trip to Walmart, and although it was one hundred degrees out, I wasn't going to not get on him after I hadn't seen him in three weeks. So when I finally got there, I hopped on and did some light flat work. The second I started to trot him around, I could tell a major difference, but it wasn't until I put him into a canter that I noticed how incredibly different he felt and how much Mike and Heather had improved his overall frame with how he carries himself. They'd drastically changed him in only three weeks. He looked like a different horse when looking at him in the mirrors.

     Oh, and did I mention that he was about as strong as a rock? I mean, don't get me wrong, he was still his lanky and nonplump self (which is understandable when he's getting worked hard every day), but it was the fact that none of the weight he contained was fat anymore. He was pure, muscle. You could accurately compare him to Matthew Morrison who plays Mr. Schuester on Glee. Tall and lanky, yet unexpectedly hiding a six pack underneath it all. Yes, I just compared my horse to an actor from Glee. Coming back from my awful yet creative analogy, I'll say that his top line was like a rock, and every time I went to pat him on the butt, it took me by surprise at how firm and developed the muscles in his hind end had become. Now that he had been forced to carry himself in the correct frame, he was finally building the correct muscles that I've been struggling to develop in him.

A picture from Friday afternoon. I love my boy (:

    

     Because I got so excited and carries away with this, let me back up just a little. When I first arrived, Stoney did not show hardly a bit of excitement when he first saw me. It was kinda disappointing, yet not really surprising. It wasn't until after I'd ridden him and given him carrots (part of my needed Walmart trip) that he started to act like he missed me. Pshh. Boys.

     So Saturday started at 8 am for Stoney and I. Heather showed me what they'd been working him with, a nice little contraption that he's been living in so he learns his "new life" and "new way" of forever carrying himself. Riding him, even for 45 minutes, took everything I had. 

    A great description of our morning lesson --> Lack of riding on my part + body disagreeing with the strenuous work + EXTREMELY strong horse + moderate heat all = a great challenge for me.

     I know I know. I'm a wimp.

     I later rode at 12ish that day, where I then jumped Stoney with the nice contraption on.

     Another great description --> Not having jumped since Greenwood + stronger horse + tired horse + tired me + 100 degree weather = Heather yelling at my much deserved self.

     I had already mentally prepared myself for the yelling from Heather since I was very rusty and a little weaker so it didn't bother me. I actually enjoy the trainers who chew me out. Those are the ones that I get the most out of and thrive with. Weird.

     So after an exhausting day for the both of us, I went and took a two hour nap, ate, then slept for eleven hours, still exhausted when I went for my 10 30 lesson on Sunday. Let me just say, Sunday was still a struggle for me, but it was an improvement from our jump session on Saturday. Heather left the contraption a bit looser to see if Stoney would still travel in the correct frame and jump in the correct frame, even when he had a bit of leeway, and the good boy did. We even got a couple of smooth flying lead changes in that Heather was pleased with since she has been making me incorporate those into our warm ups and they're still a struggle for him.

     I left sore, but satisfied. And I also left with a raw inside knee. Old habits are always the most painful. Literally. It is always made clear when I haven't ridden enough because of the nasty rubs I get the pleasure of developing on the inside of my left knee, only the left, from my legs being weak and not supportive enough, resulting in me gripping with my knees like an idiot. It's the day after, I can't move an inch without feeling pain, and however, it's the best feeling ever (with the exception of my raw skin). This weekend was like a nice little wake up call to my body who was overly gracious for the break it was taking advantage of. It was about time it had to put in some strenuous work again. Heellooo wake up call.

     I am now positive that if I hadn't gone down this weekend to ride Stoney, Texas Rose (two weeks away now) would have been an ultimate disaster. Remember how in an earlier blog I said Texas Rose would either go horribly wrong or shockingly good? Yeah. It would have gone WAY horribly wrong. I'm afraid if I hadn't gone this weekend, I wouldn't be able to ride Stoney to the best of my capabilities, nor would I have been able to support his strong self. I am so so happy I got lucky and was able to go down there. And although it was so hard leaving my baby boy again, I thankfully will be seeing him in less than two weeks. About 9 days to  be exact (: Gah, I'm so excited. BUT, before I get to see my boy again, I will first be embarking on my trip to North Carolina the day after tomorrow to Southern Pines, where I will finally meet Will. I'm positive that some excitement awaits for me!

Not so Bright

     So I realized how not so bright my bright idea was of starting a blog at this specific time, since it makes no sense when I will not be seeing my horse for another 22 days, give or take. 

     Because the baby boy is down at Mike's getting to go through a five week boot camp, this leaves my blog to be somewhat pointless until I am reunited with my other half. I know that this is the best thing for him as of now, especially with all of my AP and final exams I am forcing myself to tackle, but it doesn't take away from the fact of how much I miss my grey pony. Once you reach the point of not seeing your horse for the time period of a week or so, that is when you actually start to miss all the obnoxious things they tend to do. Crazy how I actually miss Stoney grabbing my shirt with his slimy mouth or continually throwing his feed bucket out of his stall. He has so much character, what can I say. 

     I remember this past summer I left him for only a week when my family and I traveled to Florida, and I began to miss him after only three days. I'm not sure how I've survived the nine so far. Wow, only nine days? It has felt like at least two weeks by now. *sigh*

     Although I miss him like crazy, I've been traveling so much and going non stop this spring that it is nice to be able to have some time off and know that my horse is still getting worked productively and even maintained on a better schedule then I could have produce for him. With our crazy weather like it is, I was constantly battling to ride whenever I could, fit in homework in between, and manage to get minimal sleep so I could function well enough to do it all again the next day.

     However, I can't hide my excitement of how anxious I am to get back down to Texas (which seems as if it's my second home now) to see a completely different horse from the one I left before. I'm anxious to see how much muscle and weight he will have finally put on from such extensive training and being stalled more than he has been at home. With this anxiousness comes worrying as well, for I hope that I will be able to maintain my fitness while he is away. This spring, I finally felt like I was back to the top of my performing and riding, something I haven't felt since before Remi's injury. Now that I'm finally back to where I need to be, I'm hoping I don't lose it by this absence of riding. I've brought myself to do light flat work on Raven, and I've been doing a lot of cardio work along with muscle work to keep/strengthen the muscles of my core, arms, and legs. Still, when I go to ride Stoney, who has jumped at least four times a week the entire time in Texas, I will have not jumped in five weeks. That's a scary thought. What's even scarier is going to Texas Rose Horse Trials to compete the same weekend I go to pick him up. Thankfully, I will be getting a lesson in Thursday afternoon and Friday morning before we head over to the horse trials, which will be vital for me. I have a feeling, way, way far away though, that we might just have one of our best horse trials. Or it could just as easily be one of our worse since I will not have ridden him in weeks. But I have a gut feeling that it will all work out, and just those two days of lessons before will fix everything that needs to be fixed.

     Even with my paranoid self, I'm sure everything will pull out just fine as long as I keep myself disciplined over the next few weeks. Only nine more days before I leave my high school for good. I can't even contain the excitement of it all, even with the immense stress that is overtaking me with all my semester projects, research papers, and exams. It'll all be over with before I know it. No more teachers cramming in projects and tests, no more disapproving attendants in the office due to my absences, and no more stressing over my GPA....at least for a year.

     I guess there won't be much more to blog about for the next few weeks, with the exception of me flying to North Carolina on the 1st of June to stay for a few days, meet Will Faudree, and visit his farm that Stoney and I will be staying at for the next year. I know I will have some serious things to talk about once that trip comes to a conclusion (: 

Explanations With More Explanations

     So it looks like I'm starting a blog, and hopefully I will continue to keep up with it and keep it updated. I don't think that will be too difficult of a job since I only have two weeks left of school and then comes the start of my boring summer while I wait to leave for the beautiful North Carolina skies. 

     I decided that it might be a good idea to explain the reasons for why I decided to create a blog. I discovered not too long ago that a friend of mine had one, and that's what sparked the idea of proceeding with this. I don't want to copy her by any means, but instead create one of my own that is original and hopefully enjoyable for others to read. I thought that this blog would be a great way to give people, whoever it may be, an incite to the not quite normal life I live with eventing and such. It seems to be a beneficial way for family, moderately interested friends, or perhaps no one if they choose not to read it, a way to keep up with what is going on in my life, especially when I will be leaving everyone in my town in just a short matter of time to live in North Carolina for the next six or nine months. Everyone who is just a tad bit curious of what and how I'm doing can see what I'm up to with this blog. 

     Just a heads up, most of this blog will indeed revolve around the occuring events of my wonderful horse, Stoney. I don't doubt there will be a few non horse related blogs, but that will be few and frequent. My horse is my life, and most of the time there isn't much happening in my life that doesn't tie him into it in some way or another.

     Continuing with the explanations, I'll explain the title of my blog and why I chose it. Since the blog will mostly deal with my horse, I felt that this title described him quite well. Literally, he really is a horse of a different color. Being the color grey, he does stand out a little compared to all the other bays and chestnuts out there, but not only does it fit him in the literal meaning, but also in the figurative meaning as well. There are many who have heard the saying, "a horse of a different color." That's exactly what he is. For me, he is THE horse of a different color. I've competed numerous horses before, but never have I owned a horse that posses such talent and athleticism. From the first show he ever competed at, offers for him were made. It made me realize that this horse, taken care of and given the proper time, can take me all the way to where I want to go in this sport, and it makes me feel blessed that I fell into such a talented horse for the limited price my family could put forth. He truly is amazing. So amazing I can't help but put a cute picture of him at the end of this post (:

     So enough babbling about my horse, although I could go on about him for days. Hopefully, this blog will be a success in that it is an enjoyment to read and show others what my life is all about.