A Beautiful day for a Friday

"A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence."  ~Pam Brown




I'm heading out to the Judging Competition today! First, I'm going to stop and see my Best Friend and go for a run with her around a Lake! Then I  have a coaches meeting, a meeting with my kids, then sleeping. Judging will take place for 12 hours tomorrow.


Sunday at 1, Eva and I will head out to go get my Nephew, Reno. How exciting! I can't wait to fill you all in on my weekend.


Until then, I leave you with a lovely quote and photo of my boy.

And apparently I AM an adult!

haha! That just makes me laugh, me? an adult!

Anyway, let me back up. As you may have noticed mention of, I am the proud coach of a 4-H Horse judging team. While I use the word "coach" lightly, because my "kids" probably know as much, if not more than I do, they have to have a coach and I am technically that person. I have basically served as a point person in the development, organization, and coordination of the 4-H Equine Team and subsequent 4-H Horse Judging Team. The "kids" or 4-Hers as it were, range in age from 14-17. 3 of them come from families that own their own farms and all of the kids have qualified for and competed in the 4-H Southern Regional Championship Horse Shows (in case you didn't grow up in 4-H, Regionals is a big deal). All of that is to say that my kids are awesome and despite my lacking as a coach, I think they will do wonderfully at the competition.

The brief overview of the 4-H Horse Judging Competition goes like this:
The kids must judge approximately 8-10 classes. These classes are made up of both halter and performance classes. These can range from quarter horses, arabians, saddlebreds, draft horses, ponies, paso finos, reining, hunter hack, saddleseat, horsemanship, western pleasure... you get the point. "Fair Game" runs the gammat and the kids have to be prepared to judge a diverse range of classes. On 4 of these classes, the kids must provide oral reasons. These reasons are given one-on-one with a "professional" judge a few hours after the class takes place and the kids may not use any notes. After the competition, the kids are judged 1/2 on their correct actual placings of the 8-10 classes and 1/2 on the reasons they give for those placings. The kids are judged on an individual and team level and the top individuals and top team coach will go on to the Regional competition.

This is the first time that 3 of my kids will ever compete in a judging competition and we have only been practicing for about a month. Thankfully a Judging "Judging" who also happens to board with one of my kids has been helping us for the last couple of weeks. She has been a life saver. She comes up with great activities for helping the kids practice giving oral reasons. She also gives great feedback and knows how the judges will be judging the kids. She was priceless in helping us.

The competition is on Saturday. I have a coaches meeting on Friday night and the competition will last ALL DAY Saturday. I was asked to stay over night in the hotel with one of the kids because there was no adult to stay in her room. I looked around trying to figure out who could serve as the extra adult then realized that, apparently, I AM the adult. Haha! Saturday is also my 24th birthday and because the competition is not too terribly far from my parents' house, they plan to come watch the competition and see me on my birthday. I am looking forward to it. I am nervous for my kids but know how intelligent they are. I am really lucky to have been given such a mature and talented group of 4-Hers. Wish us luck. I hope to share pictures and good results with you next week!

To meet my team and check out a bit more about 4-H Horse Judging, check out their website.

Big-Boy Birthday Bonanza!!!

Happy Birthday to the Sweetest, Goofiest, Big Gran-Man, Pony Ever!!

My big guy is FINALLY 3! Today is his birthday and I love him soooo much. Is it silly that I am proud of him for, uh, growing?

I don't have much time with him today (Last 4-H Judging Team practice before state competition this weekend) but I bought him some treats and plan to go shower him with love and a couple of cookies. I also bought him some bell boots because...

Someone got his first pair of big-boy shoes yesterday! He was great and walked off like he had been wearing them all his life. The farrier barely needed to shape them, he said Granite's hooves are nearly shoe shaped already. He also noted that our "special fin" aka club foot is looking better and better and may be a normal angle after a couple of shoe settings. I know a lot of people are swearing by the barefoot trimming and until yesterday, I had never had shoes put on a horse of mine (with the exception of Karma, but D had her shoes set and we did TONS of trails through all sorts of rocky terrain). But, I am very confident in my farrier who knows much more than I do about horse's hooves and he thinks the safest thing for Granite's tendons in his "special fin" is to keep shoes on the fronts. So, I am doing as told and my baby now has new kicks on his front feet. Being that he is a huge klutz, I asked the farrier if bell boots would be a wise idea. He told me it definitely couldn't hurt. So, he will get a pair of pull-ons today (He lost his pair of velco-on bell boots during evening #1 in the pasture).

I have a back-log of blog topics to share, but today we will have to settle with wishing my Prince Charming a happy 3rd birthday. He is now ready for our next adventure-- riding! As soon as his trainer heals (she broke her nose riding a crazy greenie), my boy will start going to school and learning to me my partner under-saddle! Wish us luck!

The Lesson from Hell....

Last Thursday I managed to outrun the rain. Under ominous skies, my 45 minute drive from work ended at the lesson barn. The barn was one of those pre-manufactured barns. It was very clean and organized. The instructor was a very pretty young woman (around 30ish).

She greeted me mildly and showed me where I could sit my saddle. The she had me fill out a three page waiver. The first page was your standard waiver, the second asked for all of my health insurance info in addition to doctor's phone number and address. The third page asked for my date of birth, height, weight, if owned a horse, if so, for how long, how long I have been riding, my highest level of competition, and it felt like every other question in the world. It was a little extensive. I tacked up the 22 year old pony (ok, he may have been 15 hands) who was shedding like a demon (obviously) and the trainer promptly told me where I could find a broom to sweep up his hair.

Once I tacked him up, we headed to the arena. From there I spent the next 45 minutes feeling like a small child attempting to coerce her pony into moving forward. This entire time the only advice the trainer offered was... "more impulsion". Honey, if I could get this poor pony to move any faster, I would! We managed to pop over a few jumps (a monkey could have gotten this school master to jump, it was literally idiot proof... if you could keep him moving). I felt like a moron that I couldn't get this poor horse to move. Perhaps she hated me, or truly thought I was horrible, because I do not exaggerate when I tell you that I was offered ZERO feed back. It was the most expensive pony ride I have ever had! I wanted to cry, and in fact after I pulled out of the driveway, I did.

But my story is not quite over. After finishing our lesson (I assume it was done bc the instructor said "I guess thats enough" then walked out of the arena leaving me to walk the pony out), I went back in as was shown to the wash rack. I untacked and rinsed the pony off then asked which stall was his. I was then told to go ahead and hand graze him for a while before putting him up. Como Whaaat? Yep, I hand grazed the horse in the drizzling rain --that had started while I untacked-- for about 15 minutes before putting him back up. Then I was given a bottle of murphy's soap and a sponge to clean the bridle.

When I was done, I handed her a check and RAN to the nearest exit. After crying on my way out, I spent about 3.5 minutes contemplating my future with horses. I really left feeling that I was not worth this woman's time and that is why she offered no feedback or instruction. Then I called my best friend, Eva, and she helped me to realize that sometimes you don't jive with everyone. She mentioned that I am not in the best geographic region to find a trainer I love, and that perhaps I don't need a coach until Granite and I begin jumping. Granite has a trainer and yes, I will take lessons with her on how she is training Granite and how I can continue to bring him along, but I really hoped to find a coach that I could turn to for advice about my own abilities (or lack thereof).

As an aside about the lesson from hell, turns out the "pony" belongs to my beloved farrier. His daughter is also an instructor at that farm! And three days later, I learned that I am distantly related to this trainer by marriage. Haha-- what are the odds?

So, I am taking a moment to step back from the trainer search and re-group. I will get back at it later into the summer. Perhaps it just isnt for me right now...

A Tragedy in the NC Horse Community

Early yesterday morning a fire broke out at a Chapel Hill barn, Foxwood Farms. Before the flames were discovered, the fire had apparently burned through the roof of the barn. 13 horses were killed. News coverage on the story can be found here.

As if this weren't heart breaking enough, today I found out that one of Granite's half sisters died in the fire. I am facebook friend's with the owners of Granite's sire and she had photos and an RIP message about an 8 year old mare named Love Ya Mean It aka Buttercup. Then I put the pieces together and realized that she had been one of the horses to die in the fire.

BUTTERCUP (2002-2010)

My thoughts are certainly with her owners. If she is anything like my boy, they lost a gem yesterday.

Upon looking at the Foxwood website, I realized that Granite's 5 year old full brother was being offered for 1/2 lease at the farm. I don't know if he is OK or not (I think 9 or 10 horses had been in another barn and were moved to safety). I have emailed to ask if anyone knows. I can only hope he is OK, he seemed like such a nice boy!

GUINESS

Y'all do me a favor and keep everyone who loved these horses in your thoughts and prayers. I know this tragedy is being felt through out the entire NC Horse Community. It certainly makes you remember to be grateful for what you have; and I have Granite.

I make it rain

And I'm not Lil Wayne either. My super powers to create precipitation rest solely on my ability to schedule a riding lesson. A few weeks ago, I decided that while I adore Becky A. and Applewood Farm, that perhaps I was more of a hindrance to her than anything else and scheduling was becoming too much of a bear to attempt to establish a trainer/student relationship. I began an internet scavenger hunt to find a trainer that:
A.) had a positive reputation
B.) trained successful hunter/jumpers
C.) was located within a 45 minute drive from my home/work
D.) was accepting new clients
E.) allowed me to ride "lesson horses"
F.) could teach in the evenings or on weekends

Is that too much to ask? Apparently, yes, yes it is. I received ONE response from my search. After approximately 2 weeks, she and I were able to schedule a trial lesson and today was the day. After about a week of hot and dry days (and a subsequent pollen assault) the world apparently rallied to pray for rain. They got their wish and it is currently sprinkling while threatening to thunder storm. I have yet to call and see if it is raining 45 minutes east of here (where her barn is ever so conveniently located). I think I will call in about ten minutes. I am praying that she has an indoor of which I am currently unaware. I wouldn't be so disappointed if this didn't happen EVERY TIME I schedule a lesson and if it didn't take 3 weeks to find a free day in my schedule that coincides with a free day in a trainer's... I am really thinking that the fates would rather me take up table tennis or air hockey at this point, because riding lately, has become more of a struggle than I had ever imagined.

Things that make me go.... GRRrrr!

1. Verizon Wireless who has left me sans phone for FOUR days now despite my super-duper-amazing-covers- everything-including-earthquakes-and-avalanches-insurance plan. Their sorry excuse for customer service is positively deplorable.

2. Duke Basketball who beat the Cinderella team by 2 points in the National Championship last night. They are a rich, snobby, private school and I just can't garner any fellowship toward entitled people, let alone a campus full of them.--- Go Heels!

3. 90 Degree temperatures in APRIL that are making my poor poor Gran Man sweat all day as he is still holding on to the last layer of winter fuzzies that mom just can't seem to curry off just yet.

4. Not Knowing if my best friend's (hopefully) soon-to-be Baby Morgan will pass the vet check today and not knowing whats going on because I don't have a phone. Fingers crossed for good news folks!

5. Rained out lessons that seem to occur with frightening regularity. I have a trial lesson scheduled with a new trainer scheduled for Thursday and what do you know? The high temps are supposed to break and give way to showers on Thursday evening, go fricken figure!


~ Now in better news, I sat on my boy bare-back last night for the first time ever. A friend of mine held Granite while he grazed and I got to sit on him and bask in the thought that in less than a month he will be going into training and I will be actually riding him at long last!