Ick

Is what I'm sure Tommy was thinking last night, he's not a fan of the beet pulp in his post-jumping meal, usually it's all mixed in with the grain and pellets, but it wasn't last night, it was off to the side. So he ate all the pellets and stuff but left as much of the beet pulp as he could. Even just holding it in my hand to try and get him to take it, he wouldn't, basically had to push it right against his mouth before he would take it. It's to cold for him not to be eating everything especially when he isn't gaining weight. He was doing really well when it was warmed up a bit, but now the cold is back so he has to burn more calories to stay warm, even with his thick blanket on.

As for the lesson, it was to cold to get them sweating actually doing a lot of jumping, so we did a lot of flat work and they had a lot of walking/standing breaks. Even L's mare who is horribly out of shape right now didn't sweat very much. So we just did a line and practiced hauling in the middle and then cantering out. Mostly transition work this week, but he's doing so well at them!! It's great! However, he's still not doing as well at the upward transitions, epsecially from the trot to canter, and those are the ones that make him sweat and until it warms up, we won't be doing many of them.

I really wish I had my own horse. I love Tommy but I want my own horse. There would be so much more I could do! More shows, go trail riding in the winter or off the property, try new things like side saddle! I've forgotten about it for a while. At my old barn (RBR) there was a girl who ride side saddle and I always thought I wanted to try that, then I forgot about it and moved to HS to start jumping. Then I was creeping through blogs and several had to do with side saddle and I really want to try it! But, HS doesn't teach it, Tommy doesn't know what the hell it is and I don't know how to teach him, or even if I could I don't know that K would let me. Besides, a saddle like that has got to be expensive, especially in Alberta, there's doesn't seem like a big market for it. I haven't even seen one in a tack shop here.But I think it would be awesome if I got to try it. Unfortunately, that's probably one of those things I won't get to do until I have my own horse, which is unlikely to happen for at least four or five years depending on what happens after uni.
I don't know how people can stop riding for university, it seems impossible really. The only time I can't see being able to ride is possible if I get to study abroad. I'm hoping I can study more than once abroad, three times would be prefect. Then I can go to the University of Dundee in Scotland, London Metropolitan University in England and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.
I don't think Sydney is real option though, their calender is reversed from ours, so if I did get to study there it would have to for at least a year if not all four. It'll cost at least $17,000 Australian per year, and that's just tuition, not even living expenses...and a plane ticket. I want to go back so badly though! Fuck me, I should have been in the IB program (International Baccalaureate)! Where is the rewind button to my life?! IB is international, kids all over the world study it, it by far increase my chances of getting into Macquarie since there's few spots for international students as it is. At least in the UK I would be able to just go for a semester or something. But not for Australia, which really, really sucks! Sydney is soooo beautiful and I want to go back sooo badly! I don't know how my mum could have come back! I mean Canada's great and I love it of coarse, but it's...it's Sydney damn it! She had a job and friends and everything. Oh well, it would just be a brilliant excuse to go back.
I totally live in fear of having a life where I'm going to be stuck here forever and never have the chance to go to Europe or back to Australia or ride horses. I don't want to be one of those people that gets so caught up in there job and family that they don't get to do what they've wanted until it's to late.
But that's a whole other problem.

Travelling

I was planning on travelling to Europe this coming summer but I never got the job I needed to afford it. So it's been pushed to next summer. This is potentially good though, it gives me  the time at university to meet people I could stand to travel with for that long, and my summer holiday will be four months instead of two.

For Christmas my parents bought me a Lonely Planet book called Europe on a Shoestring. So I'm 'planning' a trip as if I was going this summer, it will give me a rough price estimate and more time to look for things I might like to do while there.

For the most part I've been planning on taking this trip on my own, but my mum hates the idea and tries to think of people I could go on this trip with. There are huge flaws to going with any of them, not even ones that can be put up with, but ones that would drive me insane!!
My riding buddy, I can only stand for a few hours at a time. I want to have fun on this trip not be bossed around and only do what she wants.
My best friend, is not the kind of person up for 'roughing it'. Backpacking, staying in tents and hostiles, long cramped flights with bad food, layovers, etc. Are NOT her style and she's flat out said that if she would go she would being staying in a hotel, which is way to expensive. Not to mention, she doesn't have any interest in going to Europe.
My other best friend, I like her, I do, but just no. I can stand for long amounts of time because we don't really annoy each other, but sometimes she just gives me a headache. Then she says things that I flat out disagree with so I don't think that she would be interested in visiting many of the same places and doing the same things if she is at all interested in going to Europe.

I'm 'planning' my trip for this summer as if I'm just going to Ireland for two months, giving me more time in the UK and rest of Europe the summer after, thought that will be adjusted for real life of course.

So far my round trip ticket from Toronto to Belfast costs ~$827.00 and my EuroRail pass $190. Just need to find the price of a ticket from my city to Toronto and back from Toronto to home.

As you may have noticed, I have a lot of time on my hands.