Goodbye 2011 Hello 2012

2011
This year started put with Pippi and I kicking butt at home and going to schooling shows only to fall off or get dq-ed with Pippi bucking, rearing and just freezing competely. I'd gotten to the point that I sent Pippi home with a friend named Donny who helped me fix some riding errors in the spring. He had her for a few weeks and returned her with onl riding her a hand full if times. After that Pippi and I kicked butt in our schooling show, went to a larger show to get 2' reserve for the day and a few months later 2'6 reserve. Pippi and I came together in a new way. We were at three barns, made new horse friends, found out how some people can be and started gaining our independence (well as far as we could get without a truck and trailer). I started to take lessons again from a real trainer and tried to set a training schedule with Pippi.


Chance started showing this year as well. He kicked butt for his first time showing, clipping and being worked hard. He now jumps 3', is learning to side pass for obstacle and clips a little easier. In the shows he sets up nicely, gets mad when I leave him tied to the trailer, and does amazing.

We also got new bedding (Equine Fresh) which at first I was a little ehhh about. I thought maybe it would be to good to be true. I mean add water and bam, no more stripping for a few months. BUT man am I happy with it. It hasnt froze (tho we havent had much winter weather) and Pippi who always had thrush before hasnt gotten any this winter YAY! I guess we will see how it goes when we have winter weather but as far as I can tell it is awesome.

This year in school was the same thing as always. Went full time and took a class during the summer, worked hard and played little. During break I got a job at the local mall to help with holiday gifts.

2012
Pippi oh Pippi you better prepare yourself. I want to start jumping higher, competing in rated shows, and kick butt of course. I would like to take her to Equine Affair and I have already started making my videos to summit.

Chance better be ready too. We will be doing cart hopefully, obstacle and jumping. I want to get him jumping World Class height of 42". I'd like to take him to some bigger shows.

With school I should find out if I got into the RN program in the spring. I'm going to be shadowing a nurse and still be a nanny. Who needs a social life? ;p

My holiday Miracle.

First off Happy Holidays to everyone. I had a great one with a few problems but no big deal. Pippi had a big meal Christmas eve. We added apples and carrots to her grain and she replied by breaking the handle off her bucket. Now her feed is put into a ground bucket and she is not happy about it at all. Little Chance got a carrot in his.

For Yule I got and iPad 2, a shirt with a picture of Pippi on it, new bling jeans, glass cups for when I move out at some point and brush-that are really mostly for Pippi. I got mommy an ornament that has a picture of me and Pippi dressed up as the elf and Rudolph. Little Brother got skateboard stuff and dad got shirts.

Now my miracle....rescue cat Skittles is doing better!!! The workers didn't do anything after a week and if anything he was getting worse from me taking him off the Imodium ad. I had to take moms cat to the vet to get more medicine and asked the vet what else to do. They suggested changing feed and bringing in a stool sample after Christmas. I put Skittles on the feed the indoor cats are on-purina hair ball control-and now his poop is less runnie and has a shape! He has continued to get better and I am very happy. Now to find him a good indoor home once he has fattened up a bit.

It has been very rainy here and little riding has happened. I decided to suck it up and ride in the rain over on a baseball dimand in the park next to the barn. I rode withe draw reins one day and the next without them and I have never been more proud of our frat work ever. Her head set was amazing I wish someone was there to see it. I jumped yesterday over a gymnastic line set at 2'9. I want to start moving up higher since she has shown me she can handle it by jumping the fence set at 4' ish. Well it was a terrible. She was refusing-something she hasn't done in a long time or jumping like a deer and speeding thru the course. I ended up setting it down to cross rails to work on basics like listening to my speed and not hers. By the end we were fine but I was a bit frustrated that she was acting so off. Just shows that taking a break from jumping for awhile really kills us. Please winter hurry up and come then leave.

Oh My! Pippi jumping 4' and new bedding

Well, it started snowing today, right as I decide to go clean stalls and ride. I turn Pippi out, clean her stall and decide to ride bareback. I want to free lunge her and get all the buck out of her before I climb on. She doesnt seem into running so I go after her to put the bridle on but she runs and plays some more. I become tired of the game and go to get a whip to make her really run and become bored herself. While she is running and bucking she decides it would be a great idea to JUMP the fence into the next field. He clears the top board with her front and nicks it with her back (not enough to hurt her tho). I am in shock and she turns around and gives me a look like "ha now I don't have to run" and "OH MY GOSH what did I do".

Of course I am there alone and no one saw it happen. I made a video a few weeks ago of all the clips of Pippi and I jumping 2'6-2'9 ish and Pippi looks like she isn't even trying to clear the rails and isn't using her hind end at all anymore. Mom says it is time to start working over only 2'9 courses and
move on up. Ahhhh I feel great over 2'6 and like we are dying over 2'9. A little Sketchie. But I use to feel great over 2' and bad over 2'6 till we figured it out. It is time to MAN UP and do work. (;

Yup, to bad the ground is a little frozen, if I fall that is going to hurt.

New Bedding -
We got new bedding. It is called Equine Fresh. Basically it is pellets and you add some water, over time it gets broken down and you arent suppose to have to strip the stall so much. Well, at first I wasnt so sure. Like really, add water and no stripping. Eh.... Idk how long we have been using it. A few weeks. We got saw dust but for some reason it hasnt showed up and they are being weird. We first tried it with Pippi. LOVE IT. So easy to pick her stall, take the wet and poop out THE END. I was a but worried about it sticking to her fur and such, NO SUCH Thing. We got it for the mini's now. They sometimes try to eat the saw dust and we have had colic because of it. So far so good, knock on wood. (:

Skittles and Pippi(:

Skittles -
       Well nothing new. Getting wormer tomorrow and hopefully he will start getting better. He seems to be feeling better at least a little. Has been exploring the garage and moving around more. Eating a lot of solid foods and drinking a lot.


Pippi-
       I rode her two days again and she was a complete WITCH. I guess when you don't have a english saddle on for a week (but had a western saddle on two days before) you don't know what to do. Or how to walk with Draw Reins. I was so mad. I would ask for her head set and it was the end of the world or when I asked for her to woah she would take off then slide to a stop. I ended up quitting early since I was riding alone and I was afraid she would throw me. So today I rode her again. Free lunged her and played with her in the mini horse dirt field then tacked up and started riding. It was very wet -DARN RAIN- but we only did flat work. Our trot is AMAZING but our canter to the right was a nightmare. To the left wasnt bad, not great but better. Welp, a great trot is better then nothing.


I'll have to take a video of Pippi and I free lunging and playing. I only carry a whip in case she gets carried away but I run and buck with her and she runs away and kicks in my direction but at a safe distance. She knows we are playing and never tries to hurt me.

Update on Skittles

Well, he is in high spirits and gets excited whenever I walk in to see him. Still has diarrhea and isnt cleaning himself. We did some research and found that you can give Imodium AD to cats in some amounts. Started it last night - No big change. I called the vet, she thinks he has worms, I disagree.   I figure you would see the worms in his diarrhea and he would be bloated even tho he is super skinny. He is not bloated at all. But BIG NEWS - He is eating solid foods again. At first we were putting warm water on his food (keep him hydrated and he wasn't eating dry food) but I thought about putting some dry food out as well to see if he wanted some, Left the wet for the dry right away. I AM SO HAPPY. That is a big step.

                            Meet Skittles(:

 

Super Friendly and nice. Lets me give him medicine and is litter box trained. 

                                                His Home

Short Post - Skittles

So my mommy loves me oh so much(: and I love her too <3
At our barn we have many cats. Last spring we had a few litters and some went to good homes. One was named Skittles. My friend had named him and it fit him and stuck. Skittles went to a good home sometime over summer but sadly the owner came to hard times and brought him back to the barn. That was ONE week ago. I loved him before he left but what happy he got a good home. During this week back at the barn he has kept to himself and the other cats have not been to pleased with him and not been very nice. He has lost a lot of weight and gotten diarrhea bc (we think) he was on a lot of medicine before returning and it wasn't helping at all (doing more damage then good). Now, I could not stand by and let him get sicker and sicker, winter is coming and it is getting very cold. I have been hinting to mom to help him come here but we already have three indoor cats and can't have another. I have been giving him Watered down food and for awhile Skittle ate it, till I left and the other cats came and made him leave I think. TODAY I AM A GENIUS. I got mom and dad to let me put Skittles in our garage till he gets better. This way he can eat without being scared. I made him a bed in a box (that later mom changed a bit to make it better) and went to get him. Well there was people cleaning stalls so mom went later when I was babysitting and brought him home for me =D
His other owner had him fixed, house broken, and he is very sweet. Once he gets better I promised to either A) Take him back to the barn or B) find a good home for him. I could probably keep him a outdoor cat but cars drive far to fast on my street and him getting hit and hurt just wont work. I guess we will see what happens. Till then I check on him often, try to make him eat (mostly he just drinks the water around the dry food) and keep him happy. He seems happier in his box and being in the garage then he did at the barn. I just hope it doesnt get to cold.  I'll get a picture as soon as I can to post.

Best Wishes Little Skittles Kitty(:

First Real Lesson in.....well a long time

If you read my mothers blog you know about our lessons we decided to take. I have known Kay for about a year now since she always trains a few people I know including the last person who gave me pointers and trailers Pip around for us some.

We got to the lesson early, mom fell inlove with a cat and I sat very impatiently. Once it was our turn Kay explained that today she is going to give us a very beginner lesson to see what we know and make sure everyone is on the same page. Now, I haven't ridden another horse besides Pippi since the beginning of Nov. And even then I rode a horse that I have ridden a few times. I haven't ridden a real "lesson" horse in......well 7ish years. The horse I rode was okay, he didnt test me, I had to use a crop since he was lazy. I just hope I am not expected to jump him, I want a horse that is a little more FORWARD then stop.

During the lesson she talked about movement of the horse and then had us trot. I love to trot, I could go forever. Kay liked my posting and body position. Then....grrrrr the sitting trot. I guess it was okay tho, she didnt correct anything besides my heels. One thing I always have an issue with is going from sitting trot back to rising trot on the correct diagonal.  She did some explaining on my hips moving left to right and I soon figured out when to start rising again.

We plan to go back in a two week. Hopefully my friend who takes lessons there can pick up Pippi one day to take there and have a lesson on her. I think she would enjoy it and it would help me out a lot.

Dear Pippi,

I would greatly appreciate if you would do a complete flying lead change when I ask and not only do a sketchy front only lead change then go and do a complete lead change when I am not telling you. 
                                                            Sincerely, The rider who hates the sketchy leads

Now when I say she is doing a sketchy front only lead change I mean I go across the diagonal ask for the new lead and she will change her front legs and not her back. Then after a few strides she knows I am getting mad and she switches back to the wrong lead. The saddest part is before she got all collected up and a good head set and we were still attempting to barrel race she was doing flying lead as a four year old. Then I got her collected when we went completely english and BAM no more lead changes. Now as shows she will out of nowhere throw when in when I am attempting to do a simple change but she should be doing a lead change by now. Our simples have even gotten a bit sketchy as well. She does like half a stride of trot before she has already changed into the new "fixed" lead. I keep thinking that her doing the sketchy simple lead change means we are super close to doing a flying again when asked but it has been like four months of this sketchy lead change and I am getting frustrated.


Any Thoughts?
We have done things like asking for one over a ground pole, well she is fine with that. Then we changed to doing it a few strides after the ground pole but it is the same sketchy half change. If she would just always land on the correct lead we would be good to go, but that isn't always the case tho it is most of the time. Besides that I don't have any other idea's on how to get the lead change.

Trail Ride

I am not a fan of trail rides. Never really have been. I only like them for long open stretch to run thru, besides that stick me in an arena to get some work done. But I have had many people tell me to trail ride to help Pippi relax and get used to being out of her element, and if you follow my mom's blog I am sure she has talked about them and the scary creek. Well...today we trail rode, kinda.? Really we rode down the road that lead to a gravel road surrounded by crops, that lead to a dirt road with crops before I turned around to get home before dark. It used to be trails, before oil thingers got put in. There is a dam, the noise from that and the high waters did not make Pippi happy. The gravel road hurt her hooves, I was freezing BUT we trail rode. I know it does help her - good work out, get used to "scary things" blah blah blahhhh.... but I am not a fan. I get bored. Ten minutes feels like an hour. I like working in an arena, really working on things a judge might have us to. Oh well...
(Picture is from an old trail ride at the old barn)


On the plus side I have a new plan(: I always come up with silly plans for my life, heck I am a young adult, I have a lot of dreams and wants. But, even this plan mommy likes, that normally doesnt happen. PLAN - First graduate RN school, buy a truck (mom is buying the trailer) (I want this before any more horses! I am tired of relying on others), then one of two things A) adopt a rescue horse or B) get a barrel racer, which either happens first the other one must happen next. Thats the plan. Plus, there is a horse, and I loved her dearly when we use to board at the same place as her. Her name is Lacey, she is a QH, and a BEAST in halter, western pleasure (blehk) and Hunter under Saddle. She has placed and won some at Quarter horse Congress. I would love to buy her, and breed her to a TB or another beast of a QH. but that can only happen after everything else in plan, well maybe....I REALLY WANT HER. maybe she can be after trailer before A and B. I wish  I had a picture of her on the laptop to show you guys. Anyways there is a the plan, as of today.