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Showing posts from March, 2012

Steady Eddie

It's March. And last week, the weather in Connecticut was fabulous. With that, and my entry being sent in to the Leverett 25-mile competitive trail ride on May 5th, I have been riding more. All three horses are doing well, but the surprising theme so far is that Secret has been the steady eddie. She had a monumental day earlier in the month, and has followed it with more good behavior. Those of you who have met Secret, are probably a little surprised to find out she is the horse that I can trail ride around the farm on a loose rein. I'm very proud of her!! I'm not really sure what this year holds for her and Remi. Ideally, I would like to get both of them out in public some. But I'm not too worried about it either. If they get out and about, that's great, they are both fabulous horses. But I can also enjoy them at home just as easily, and continue to build on what we have accomplished. Time will tell.

It's Not Just About The Ribbons

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But sometimes the ribbons are nice. The title of this post is actually the title of one of Jane Savoie's books. And it's true, we don't ride for the ribbons. I ride for a multitude of reasons and at the end of the day, it comes down to the love of the horse and the sport. The ribbons can be affirmation that we are on the right path. Or recognition from our peers for a job well done. John had a great season on the competitive trail circuit in 2011. He completed 155 miles, his lowest score was a 94.5 out of 100. I was really proud of everything we had accomplished, while still realizing that we have lots of room to grow and areas that need improvement. His scores and accomplishments garnered him some outside recognition too. He is Grand Champion in Limited Distance for the Eastern Competitive Trail Ride Association for 2011. He also received a gold medallion in Limited Distance. I am so incredibly proud of him, and appreciate the recognition from our trail organizati

Another Monumental Day

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It was absolutely beautiful in Connecticut today - warm and sunny (this picture is from the fall, but you get the idea). Even though I haven't been riding a lot, I felt the urge to try a trail ride around the farm anyway. I took Secret, she's been working the most consistently, even if it is just a bit of ringwork here and there when we have decent footing. If you don't know anything about Secret, here is the 411: - she isn't very brave - when in doubt, she thinks we should head for home...and is willing to take control She has done the loop around the farm countless times, alone and in company. If another horse is leading, she behaves a bit better, but is still known to act up. However, today was different. I think she is as bored with bending and transitions as I am. She walked along on a loose rein for most of the ride. She didn't jump sideways three feet at "scary" things. The only time she thought about turning around was when we had to cross th

Horse Sense

I was browsing my email, and came across this forward a friend sent in 2010. Well worth reading again. You Can Have a Great Ride on Your Horse Every Day! by Jane Savoie janesavoie.com Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 Attitude is a choice. You don't have to have a bad day. Here are 3 simple ways to insure that every ride you have with your horse is a great one! 1. Learn to see things in shades of grey. Want to know how to have a great ride everyday? Stop expecting perfection. Don't look at training and competing in black or white terms. Instead, learn to see things in "shades of gray". The key to seeing shades of gray is to recognize when things are "a little bit better". For example, when you evaluate your daily ride, ask yourself if: Regarding your position: 1. Were your hands a little quieter? 2. Did you sit a bit straighter today? 3. Did you keep your eyes up for more of your ride than you did yesterday? 4. Were you able to use your legs, hands or sea

Foxes

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I saw another fox when I was driving home last night. This was a big one, and the second one I have seen this week. Considering I have lived in Ashford close to three years, but have only seen foxes in the last six months, it has gotten me thinking. One of two things is going on here: 1. There has been an increase in the local fox population. 2. Its some kind of symbolism for me. While the first is quite likely true, its kind of neat to think about the second one. I went to the Native American Encyclopedia and looked up there Fox Symbolism . I'll summarize a bit for you: - the Celts believe the fox is a guide and known for its wisdom - in Japan the fox symbolizes longevity and protection from evil - the Northern tribes of Native Americans see the fox as a wise and noble messenger The take home message at the end, at least the message I took home: "The fox encourages us to think outside of the box and use our intelligence in different, creative ways. The fox also brings u

Monumental Day

Only a horse person could get excited about this... However, any of you that have been reading these posts for awhile know that John has had some difficulty adjusting to camping overnight at competitive trail rides (the ones that don't have stalls). His issue is that he prefers to only urinate in a stall. The Warren Tessier ride was awful for him in 2010, and that was the ride when I realized I needed to work on his issue. In 2011, he did better. He found a nice grassy spot to relieve himself in as soon as I unloaded him from the trailer at Acadia National Park . Then again, if I had been in that trailer for that crazy ride, I might have done the same thing. Long story short, he has been getting better about urinating outside as the season progressed. At home, he has still been waiting until he gets in his stall at night. On Saturday, February 25th I put Secret in first, like I normally do. When I went back to the gate to get John, he was taking care of business. Progress!!