To Be Continued... promise!

Granite says "Don't forget about ME!"

Well, actually he says "I am sleepy!...yawn."

But regardless of  Granite's dialogue, I say, "we'll be blogging again soon!"

Granite moved to his current casa on August 1st. He LOVES his 14x12 matted stall that opens to his paddock and 8 acres of pasture. He likes his herd. He loves his barn owner and so do I. We are happy.

Some soundness issues had me out of the saddle for about three weeks last month and had the vet out to visit 3 times. But now we are back on track and feeling good. 

We recruited a former fellow boarder who is a senior at the college in our town (oh those were the days) to ride him once a week. Letting go was a bit tough, but she's good and he needs miles. It was a great choice.

G is primarily working on transitions and using his booty. We are hoping to get out on the trail some this winter with our Barn Owner and fabulous trail blazing friends (with trailers...trailers are key). I'm hoping the concentrated efforts in the schooling ring and the experiences of the great wide open (or the local county park) will make for a well-rounded pony ready for a schooling show debut next season... 2012, here we come!

Yesterday TK and I signed a lease on a (large) one bedroom apartment in the town where we both work and Granite lives. We are sad about leaving the city we currently live in (mainly the friends we have in it-- PS EVA MOVED THERE AND NOW I'M LEAVING!) but are excited to no longer be commuters (10-15 min to the barn or work from the new place! bohyah!). We officially move November 19th. And if I move again in the next three years, I will probably freak out. Me or the horse... no more moving! 

TK has had a busy and difficult time adjusting to his new job and coaching football. But, football season ended yesterday (with a 1-10 record, ouch) and now, maybe I will have some photos to make this blog worth of being blogged upon again since I can drag him and Daphne to the barn with me.

That being said, no commuting = 1 hour and 20 minutes more time in my life to make room for our blog again.

See you soon!

On the Road Again...

Yes, we are moving again. Saturday will be moving day. Becky has been too busy between the heat and her other clients to work with Granite (saaaaad face) and as she mentioned when she took us in while we looked for a new barn, she is over crowded and Granite couldn’t stay for long. Fortunately the barn I mentioned in my last post had room for us and was willing to take us in this weekend.

They drove by Granite’s current barn this weekend and didn’t stop by but noticed Granite (the only Grey) demanding attention from a group of children who had reached over the fence abutting the road. She seemed pleased that Granite was an obviously friendly horse. She did ask to Becky’s contact info and if she could call her to learn more about Granite and his daily routine. She also emailed me about ten questions regarding his routine, his preferences, our training and goals. This is a first for me. It makes me nervous like she may not like my answers and may tell us no we can’t come board there, but it also makes me excited that she cares and wants to know these things. Most barns tell you how they do it and you just conform. She seems to want to accommodate him as much as possible (which makes me happy and makes up for any lack of facilities—hot water, arena, jumps, washstall, in-barn restroom).

Shes going to email me her barn rules and boarding agreement soon. I’m also nervous about them although I don’t know why. I like to think I am a concerned, yet easy going boarder. I don’t get to be involved as much as I’d like, so I demand a lot of communication. BUT I am pretty understanding that horses get scratched and that barn owners have lives. I try to be tidy and I try to help when I am available. So hopefully things will work out. My last experience has me really jumpy. The location is great though and all signs point to her being attentive yet not crazy.

TK has orientation for his new job tomorrow and he starts coaching football at a new school (in the district where he will be teaching elementary school) tomorrow. So cross your fingers that that goes well for him. Now we just have to count down until when we get to move close to our jobs and my horse J

In other news, I got to go home and visit my family this weekend. I wish I could teleport and they weren’t 5 hours away. They are the best people ever and I just don’t see them enough. I got to see my best friend Eva too (shes back home with her family until she finds a big-girl-job). We neeeed a girls weekend. Shes on the job hunt and I’m just praying she ends up near me. Ideally, her horse is at the barn with Granite and we buy a trailer together and we all live happily ever after…. But I’ll accept her being within commute-for-a-dinner distance.

I appreciate all of your kind comments on my last post. I haven’t been on Granite yet, but I hope that after moving and him settling in, we can really get back to work. Hopefully I will see him more and we’ll be in a supportive atmosphere and we can just continue forward in yet another chapter in our relationship J Here’s to hoping!

Burn Out

So, it’s been over a month since I’ve updated you. My father chided me on the phone Monday night for leaving my readers hanging. I said “but dad, no one wants to hear the bad parts” but he told me you all deserved a run-down of events (and depressing ramblings) regardless.

I figured I would utilize my lunch break today to check-out of work for moment and to take the opportunity to reunite with my blogger-friends.

Through most of June I had been doing a good job of riding about 4 days a week and sometimes even seeing Granite more often than that. Unfortunately, none of my rides had been much fun. Granite is completely distracted by ANYTHING that takes place anywhere on the premises. He was spooking at things he has seen 100 times and at one point when he took off and almost careened into a fence, for the first time I felt scared on board my horse. That is not a feeling that I welcome. I am a self-proclaimed timid rider (you will NOT see me ever riding cross-country…no no no!) and its been so wonderful to have felt confident on my 3 year old during his whole first year under saddle. He may not have been perfect, but he was always level headed and honest. That’s all I ask. But that was the highlight of a downward spiral for us in June.

I like to think Granite hasn’t just jumped into the looney bin. There had to be factors contributing to his behavior. I think I can name a few. He was moved into a solitary pasture and his stall-mate moved into the “big” barn so he literally never got to touch the nose of another horse. He is an extremely social boy and he plays with others to the point of their annoyance. If you get him with another social horse, they play for hours on end. Taking all of that stimulation away from him was a lot and I think when I took him out, he has so much pent up anxiety (herd animals don’t rest well when alone either since no one is there to stand watch while they lay down). It was also very hot and he wasn’t getting to come in much at all. This normally would be fine with me since I prefer him being out 24/7 anyway, but it was HOT and there was no shelter in his pasture/ Some trees that provided an amount of shade, but no shelter from the elements. I don’t think these factors completely resulted in his behavior issues under saddle, but I think they compounded a big, strong 4 year old already trying to test his limits.

I realized that my problems with him undersaddle had not gotten any better in a month and I clearly was hitting a wall and with my confidence waning, I was not going to prevail. So, I called Becky. And I begged. She told me her barn was jam packed, but she would make room for us for a temporary training situation. If she can work through some of his bending, collecting, straightness, suppleness issues, then I can hopefully regain the positive tract we had been on late this winter into early spring.

So, although I felt guilty doing so, I gave the barn manager about 6 hours notice (it was the 1^st of the month when I found out Becky could take him and I had no contract… so, who wants to worry about prorates?) and got Granite (and all of our stuff) out and on the road back to Becky’s barn. Her barn is 1 hour away from my office then 25 minutes back to my house which makes it difficult to see my horse much, but I knew it would be worth it for at least a month to let him decompress, get his head on straight, then have some tuning up with his Kindergarten Teacher. My horse was a different horse the day after he arrived at Becky’s. He was my dead-head, easy going, lazy boy again! Its like he kept thanking me. He went back into his huge pasture with 4 friends and he loved every moment.

I’m hoping Becky has some time in the saddle with him in the coming weeks. Now that we are past having lost THREE shoes in one shoeing cycle and the temps in the triple-digits, I think she will be able to concentrate on getting him back on the right track. At least I hope so.

All of the drama and the issues with Granite had really caused me some burn out. I was dreading going to the barn where I was constantly worried about Granite not being happy or safe. He was a terror to ride and I never looked forward to THAT after a long day at work. I was spending money and time right and left on extra farrier and emergency vet farm calls.

The events of late spring/ early summer completely shot my motivation and eagerness to be with my horse, at the barn, or even thinking about equines. It’s happened to me before (after a few years of showing heavily and being disappointed with a 2^nd or 3^rd place). I don’t know if “normal” horse people get to the point where they question being horse people. I start to think, I could be looking into buying a home (or at least a new car) if I didn’t have the horse. Yes, I could go visit my friend in Denver if I didn’t have the horse. Sure, I could have more time for my friends if I wasn’t juggling my whole life plus the horse. Maybe having a horse, being a public servant who plans to marry a school teacher is unreasonable…maybe its selfish. I know that I will never have the means to compete on any recognized level or with any regularity. Should I even own this lovely, large, talented warmblood… if we will never have the opportunity to really BE anything? These are the thoughts I start to think and when I know I’ve burnt myself out. Maybe they are legitimate thoughts, maybe I’m just in a equine-slump.

I know I would be lost without horses. I know I have committed to Granite. But at this juncture in my life, when I don’t see him I feel guilty and when I do go see him, it’s mostly out of obligation. That’s never fun, and I spent a lot of time and money on that horse because its my passion. It should be a reward for me (for the most part) to get to see my horse or ride or to even have him in my life. I have to take this opportunity to re-evaluate.

So while Granite is at training, I’m trying to take some time away. Yes, I still go see him 3-4 times a week. But I’ve only been on his back 1 time (bareback for about 15min) in the last three weeks. I’m trying to remove the guilt when I don’t make time for him by saying “he’s in training, he doesn’t need me right now.” I’m training for a ½ marathon in November, and while I’ll probably never do another one, I want to make training for this goal a priority. I want to readjust to what it is that I love about my horse and I want him to be able to be a horse and be happy. I hope to road trip with my best friend to a 3-day event in the next couple of months. I know not having any "barn friends" has a lot to do with it. Growing up, I always had my best friend to ride with and I looked forward to the camaraderie as much as I did the horses. Now its just me and G for the most part and I think just talking about horses and goals and riding will help me remember why invigorates me about it all. 

In the meantime, I’m looking for a barn next to my office (so I can see him on my lunch if necessary, or every day for a few minutes at least when I don’t have time to ride). I think I’ve found a place. Its definitely not fancy, but its in my price range, he would have a stall but it opens to the pasture and he can choose when he is in or out. The owner lives on site and she seemed really open to me having my own farrier/trainer/vet if I wanted. She can feed and hold for me. Theres no wash stall or hot water and the “arena” is just an area of the pasture marked off for riding. But I think being able to have a good relationship with the owner and her being willing to work to achieve a situation Granite is happiest in may overcome the physical facilities. Her horses (6 of them) were in good shape and she has a 40 yr old Arabian on site (I like the longevity). I’ve asked if I can put a deposit down to hold the spot until Granite is done with training (a few weeks). I’m awaiting a returned call on that. She is located 4 miles from some awesome trails and she says she likes to go to the occasional local fun show. Maybe for now, maybe even for always I should work toward trail rides and fun shows. Maybe I even look into getting a college student to catch-ride Granite 1-2 times a week so I won’t feel guilty when I need to spend the evening running, or with friends, or with TK. Maybe someone with the time and money for shows (and no horse for whatever reason) takes Granite to the level he deserves to be at, and I support them all the way?? Thoughts. 

Speaking of TK…. He got a JOB J 17 minutes from MY JOB! And 3 miles from the aforementioned barn. When our lease is up in December, we will be moving one county east. I will cease commuting and will begin living, working, and riding in the same area!!! Hopefully not spending hours of every day in the car will help me to relax and enjoy riding again.

Sorry for the depressingness--- see Daddy, I told you they didn’t want to hear my complaints.

Hope everyone out there is well. I AM keeping up with your blogs J

Hold on loosely...

Don't let go... if you cling to tightly.... you gonna lose control!

Let me tell you about the issues I've been working through lately. Contact. Granite either sticks his nose out, chews his bit, twists at the poll and says "no thank you mom." OR, he dips under the bit and I feel like I am riding in draw reins, he has no "whoa" and only curls up when I try to take contact. I think a lot of this is coming from his getting stronger and more brave and just testing what he can get away with. Let me tell you, I need to get into the gym and strengthen my arms because my pokey chill baby horse has grown up to be strong and fast and frankly, a rather challenging ride. I've toyed with the idea of sending him to "boot camp" but I'm not sure if I can afford and coordinate it. I had some breakthroughs last night in 1/2 halts and riding a bit more assertively myself (worrying less about equitation and simply adjusting to prevent Granite from taking advantage). I also think I need to incorporate some lunging. He's in a pasture alone now and is in some of the time, so the huge 4 year old has lots of energy when I ask him to move in the arena. I need to take that into consideration and make it less of a struggle by letting him work the kinks out BEFORE I get on him. All in all, its not bad, but I need to start making some adjustments to make it better. I can tell you that when we get it right, he is amazing. Anyone know how I can just get him a modeling contract with Dover or Smartpak or something. I think he'd rather not be a show horse but wants to smile for the camera and just be handsome for a living :)

Hope all is well in the blog world. I'm keeping up with all of you on lunch breaks via Google Reader although I may not comment.

I'll leave you with some photos of the handsome devil (being mischievous or naughty per usual).

Beggin sonic tater tots of his dad. Note Daphne wants some too.

Me & Granite and our shadow.

Above the bit, twisted at the poll 

Below the bit, no contact!

A trail was a good way to ease back into the week!

I got to ride 4 days last week (in a row) which was lovely. I had 3 really fun/positive rides and I was pretty proud of Granite. I was really glad to FINALLY have him back healthy. His second canine tooth has yet to cut through and his wounds on his tongue and leg have finally healed. Poor Jen (trainer)'s mare is out for 6-8 months with a stifle injury. I went to join her for a visit at her farm and we spent the evening with a glass of wine and lots of horsie discussion. She is such an independent woman with such a talent for riding yet she never lets on to it and pours all her efforts into her mare (not into showing or lofty goals like she could... but into doing right by her mare like she should). I offered Jen a few nights a week on Granite and I hope she will take me up on it even thought she lives 20-30min from my barn. It would be great for him and will keep her in a saddle while she goes through a second rehab with her horse.

I left town Fri-Monday for the beach with TK and 5 of his friends. We had a great time and I came home pretty relaxed. For once I felt rested when I got to work on a "monday" morning. But it was about 100 degrees today and I did not feel excited to school in the arena so I decided to try and take Granite out on the little trails that surround the farm. It was his first time going out alone and he did really well. We even met up with 3 other boarders in the big field between 2 of the sections of trail. I did some trot and canter work out there ad riding in an open area really highlighted our issue with hi popping his shoulders. I have a lesson this weekend (YAY) so I know I need to ask for advice on that. Perhaps some more rides in the open field will help us not rely on the rail as much for help.

Open Field and finding friends

 Through the trails on the ride back

The barn manager stopped me on the way back to the barn to tell me that she tried to put Granite in the newly created pasture since his pasturemate moved this weekend, but he galloped around non-stop and ran into horses like he was a "bowling ball". She said he wouldn't stop so he's now in solitary. He can see two mares which are also in solitary in two adjacent pastures (none of the mares at this barn are allowed to have pasture mates-- something I have never experienced before). He seems to not mind being alone and its probably a good thing because he will not stop pestering any horse he goes out with. His stall neighbor moved into the empty spot created by his pasturemate leaving and now he is apparently trying to eat electrical fixtures for fun times. He has a jolly ball... But I think he is getting a stall guard to keep himself from electrocution...

Hopefully I will get to see Granite a few more times this week and have a lesson! Next week is busy busy, so I will enjoy it while it lasts!

Visit from the grandparents

I think I'll start riding again this week :)

G and his 'daddy' TK

G and me with My Daddy!

Love my big guy!

My mom and the pony!

Oh Granite... his little tongue just doesn't won't to heal... although it doesn't appear to be causing him pain. He devoured his apple today. His knee, however, he doesn't want me near it. He will nearly strike out to keep me away from it. But, he's as sound as he can be... oh perplexing!

Yep the tooth is STILL sitting in the wound. I don't know what else we can do unless I ask them to extract it or we just wait for it to grow enough so his tongue falls between his new canines. sigh.

 This is what remains of his big knee injury. 

Also, I'm registering for a 1/2 Marathon this week. Its in November. Thank God because I'm in such awful shape. Even with six months to train, 13.1 miles scares the ever living crap out of me. I must (find then) maintain motivation. I think I may start a training blog, just for some accountability and inspiration. Now... finding time to train. Looks like I'll be getting up at 5am now.