The Season of Spending: Attire!

... to continue on my series of "Louisa, why do you spend so much money all the time you big idiot?!"

A friend & I got these shirts (Panhandle Slim's) together, we plan to get them customized with the name of our ranch down one of the arm (Wrangler shirt style), and the logo on the back. Possibly with our job titles on the other arm? Not sure yet.

I'm very excited, we're already planning the photoshoot and perhaps trying our hands at blinging out some tack?! (Obviously that will be featured in said photoshoot). Pictures to follow!

Anyways.. this brings me to another point, finding plain wrangler shirts for women is THE HARDEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD at any of the western stores in Calgary. I don't want Wrangler & Jack Daniels. I don't want Wrangler and Justin Boots (... or whatever). I just wanted Wrangler. I also don't want to have to wear a man's XS that still makes me look like a child attempting to dress in big boy clothes.

Impossible.

This is a Rock 47 shirt, I got a wicked deal on it - like 50%, it'll be a nice summer shirt - loose and sheer.

The white may be a deal breaker though... I'm not exactly the tidiest, cleanest person in the world.

Finally, because I love looking like cowgirl barbie, (hahaha.. only kind of joking) a Justin hat with camo-ventilated back. This hat was super cheap though, and it'll beat my pink rhinestone John Deere hat I sometimes sport in the summer...

It's fun, to be a redneck idiot sometimes.

Riding Diary: 9

Horse: Quiz

Time: 1 hr

Pre-cursor to Ride in which I ramble about nothing: ...I have some stuff going on that has been severely messing with my head as of late. (Blog post to come about that one of these days) So, along with being an emotional, unstable wreck at times... I'm in the centre of hurricane midterms, quickly approaching the Tsunami otherwise known as Finals, more specifically... term papers. & to top it all off, I started a new job and although it's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezie, i'm now busy Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings. I'm busy and I'm sad and I'm in a bit of a mess.

So, what does this have to do with my weekly lesson you ask?

Well, I rode Wednesday than bailed Saturday because I felt sick, and knew that I had to be "responsible" and study. (Even though, in times like these I am prone to mentally shutting down and doing absolutely nothing) So, once Monday had rolled around I was feeling all stressed out, and was worried that my mental state at the moment would really affect my riding. Plus, it felt like I was lacking in Quiz-Louisa time.

Good news is that going riding was probably the best thing for me. As always, spending time in silence with horses can cure a lot of my mental mania. I got out to the barn earlier than usual and Quiz had been rolling in our new-found springtime mud (apparently she only rolls on her left side). So, I spent some decent time featuring a curry comb and the shedding blade and got her nice and shiny clean again. I actually love grooming, it's just that mental down time for me. I like picking and fussing and brushing, zen time.
Now, without further ado.. the actual ride..

Ride: So? Remember all that talk about my own mental mania, apparently Quiz had some too. Usually she's a little feisty to begin with but she would not check back at the jog or lope for me. I've never had to use so much rein on her to attempt to get her to check back and relax into the gaits. Furthermore, if I left the small circle and attempted to lope or jog the rail she would shut down when I asked her to check back and either stop, or walk. My trainer attributes this to the fact she has a foundation of reining training, and that when they got her she was used to doing extremley fast, small circles, and not a lot of long, rail-style loping. Still, nonetheless, I can sense it's frusterating for her, and it is for me as well.

My trainer got me to lope her in a small circle, for every half a circle we would lope, for the other half I would transition into a jog and back again. She explained to me that attempting to check Quiz back with just reins was clearly not working and that she was getting too tough on the bit and that this exercise would help her understand the point of checking back, while also asking her to work with the bit, not evade, or push on it. It seemed to help and Quiz was better to check after that... but still not great. I'm not sure if it's me, I'll ask her to jog from a lope and more often than not she either screeches to a halt, or breaks down right into a walk. I suppose that's a sign that I need to be using more verbal cues with her, and then asking for specific actions in more consistent ways.

Other than our issues with checking back, Quiz didn't have as big of a stop as i'm used to with her. All of a sudden she was evading and leaking out of a stop, so i'd back her after stopping.. but by the end of the lesson I still wasn't feeling like she was 100% stopping like she usually does.

I also have to watch my position at times, when loping a circle I tend to let her cut in, thus causing her to speed up and cut corners. We've figured out that when asking her to lope I shouldn't cluck to her, it causes her to rush the transition, so I've been working on asking in a more calm, non-verbal way. Also, again in those damn circles, I drop my shoulder and kind of angle into the centre of the circle - I need to focus on sitting up straight, with evenness in my body. Finally, when asking for a rollback, for example a rollback to the left, I'll drop my left hand/rein halfway through the turnaround, I need to keep both hands more consistent.

This was the first lesson with Quiz where I felt like our communication was really off. I can't help but wonder if my riding, with the addition of my mental state was causing this hurried, gross mess that was the outcome of our weekly lesson... it can be a bit of a confidence blow.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, keep riding, keep learning. Everyone, including horses, have their bad days.
For next time: Work on checking back without shutting down (utilizing different methods such as the circle jog-lope technique), and focus on keeping an evenness in hand and body posture while loping circles.

Most importantly, leave the stress and agitation of life in the truck before entering the barn. =)

A Glimpse: 1

a little glimpse into my life lately...

Little Miss Quiz in an XL cooler after a sweaty ride today... isn't she the cutest?!

A piece of an email I received yesterday, very bittersweet.

Today, much like every other day...

... I am thankful for growing up in summertime heat, amongst trees that touch the stars at night, horses that are always accepting of hugs, cuddles and kisses, and people that have shaped the person I am today.

A very little me, riding a very big (and at times, very scary) Minnie.

Here's to good 'ol boys, who still jump logs & crow hop at rivers, just to make little girls laugh.

A favourite quote that Lisa Mallory wrote and taped up in one of the dorms,

"for all that has been and all that soon will be, I saltue the people that continue to enhance the vibe and dream that encompasses this place. Heaven is hard to find, and even harder to keep."

Here's to fires that threaten to burn down buildings, and nearby trees

generally, here's to the insanity of summer

& of course, as always, the boy that stole my heart and his goddamn crazy eyes.

To lifelong friendships.

To a sky that has captured my imagination, and all my dreams.

& to so many miles in the saddle

... and here's hoping, and praying, and dreaming, and wishing for many, many more.

Today, I am trying to remember to always cherish the people dearest to you, and the time you have at the places you love.

The Season of Spending: Belts!

So, I got a job (non-horse related) because the other day after going on what seemed like a year-long spending-spree I realized that my bank account was getting closer and closer to the red, and although I have two small, one day a week type jobs, that just aint cutting it - so, I got a third! (but this one is 3 days a week, so a little more on the serious side)

I'm going to make such a wonderful wife one day. :) Now taking applications for a man who will allow me to spend all our money on horses, and things that have to do with them. And clothes... and definitely cowboy boots, (and all other types of shoes that exist) Appealing? I know!

So, I thought I should probably document all the spending i've done in the last couple of months here... *disclaimer* this spending wasn't all in one day - i'm not that insane!

So, first up is belts..

Belts:

So, there is this random little liquidation store by my house and the other day I went in just to check it out. Uhm.. they have Wrangler and Rock 47 by Wrangler belts there... for 9 dollars

They also have (cheap) belt buckles for... 5

and plain leather belts in black and brown for... 3

... my mouth was on the floor.

(My mom got this for me, because as I have mentioned she is the best! But I bought the black belt to go with it. I had it on the brown belt two pictures up but it looks way better with black)

I'm obsessed with this one, blingy bling bling.

This belt buckle is ridiculous, but I think it's too perfect not to have, it's MASSIVE. Plus I bought two for two friends of mine so we can be matchy-matchy with our redneckness.

So this is one is a little over the top for me, but I tried it on with a plain black tank top and dark jeans and actually really liked it, so we'll see if I ever end up wearing it.

Now that I know I have the mecca of cheap belts beside my house I'm thinking of trying my hand at blinging out some stuff. I know you can buy pretty cheap swarovski crystals and conchos wholesale online, it might be fun to play around with some stuff and bling it out.

... I sound like a barrel racer.

Stay tuned for more stupid spending habits! 

92 days

I was grabbing coffee with two friends yesterday and the subject of boys came up. We were talking about how often when distance occurs for a long period of time it can be hard to keep the spark. Even more than the spark, often, we all found, you begin to see flaws you didn't see in that person, you begin to remember moments differently - you begin, to almost, dislike them. Which is ironic and awful and terrible because in the beginning, you had true feelings for them. Such is life.

Then, today, I was being nostalgic and thinking about you, my boy. As always. If my plan goes through I would like to "lease" you once you are home from winter pasture. You are home in 92 days. Distance has not made me think any less of you. In fact, it makes me miss all your quirks and issues even more. Distance has caused me to spend endless hours on forums, and reading articles, and looking up training tools and techniques that may aid in you becoming the horse I dream of you being. Distance has caused me to buy you things, things you don't really need, and plan to buy you more things, again - items that are probably much too expensive, and realistically very silly, and the fact is I don't even own you.

But I love you. So, I rationalize.

If anything, distance has made me entirely crazy, but it has also made me love you more.

& with all this distance, and planning, and thinking of you, I come to really worry about my plans. I worry in an almost obsessive manner, and it has made me tired. Distance has been very hard indeed, but I don't love you any less than I did the last day I saw you.

Riding Diary: 8

Horse: Quiz

Time: 1 hr.

Ride: Oh, the lovely Quiz. This horse amazes me, we get into the arena which is full of jumps and flower boxes and a managery of general craziness and you can tell she's not always 100% comfortable. (Coloured cut-out squares and flowers are here nemesis) Then you add like 4 other riders, sometimes more, most of them jumping, and she's basically like, "meh, whatever, we can handle this." & she's just coming up 4!! I love it. It really helps me because while she's being Miss cool-as-a-cucumber, I'm like... christ, this is hectic, I might die.
Anyways, started with a posting trot warm up... why do I have such a hard time picking up the right diagonal?! (as in the correct diagonal, not the right diagonal.. hardeeharhar) I really need to work on this, it annoys me greatly that I can't immediately pick it up. Then we moved onto the jog, Quiz & I have the jog down, I feel so much more comfortable at the jog than I did in my first lesson. I guess all my life people told me, "if you want to post, post, or you can sit the trot, it doesn't matter", I was also told that sitting a trot is "very advanced", something you need to work on and basically not to do it... it is times like these where I'd like to go back in the past and whack certain people upside the head. So, all my life i've been posting the trot... incorrectly... ugh... and the first time my trainer told me to sit the trot I felt like a big 'ol sack of potatoes/a mexican jumping bean because it just felt so.. foreign to me I suppose. Now I pretend I'm a western pleasure riding in a jacket so sparkly I blind you whilst I jog on by. :) (I hope that image is as wonderful for all of you as it is for me)

On to some loping and the beginning of some rollbacks! I definitely need to work on my rollbacks, but they are new to my lesson regime so I will forgive myself. My trainer has me stopping completely, and then moving my rein over before adding my leg. I add my leg too fast, with not enough rein to begin with, so it always ends up a little sloppier than I'd like. We worked rollbacks at a trot first, then at a lope, overall I was comfortable but would like them to grow more and more precise.. practice practice practice. I also have a tendency when picking up speed from a stop to lean forward and lose my heel, I need to focus on sitting back and tall while asking for speed from a stop or walk.

Finally we worked on loping the rail, Quiz has a tendancy to jump the gun and then when I attempt to check her back she'll fall into a trot. I'm not pulling on the reins very sharply, but I think she just doesn't really care to slow lope. So that's something that I definitely need to work on with her. I just need to reinforce my leg if she goes down to the trot and try and try again until we get this slow lope thing down. (Again, i'm picturing myself as a WP queen)

Next Time: I kind of addressed all of these things above, but, perfect diagonals every single time, more precise rollbacks and a calmer slower lope.