Saturday Lesson

Heard back from K and there is an open spot for a jumping lesson this Saturday and next Saturday and then Thursday evenings starting in January, although she isn't sure who I'd ride in the Thursday lessons but that she would work something out! =D

Riding Again!

 Or so I hope.

I've contacted K about riding again and just doing a weekly lesson rather than leasing, at least for the winter term, so I just have to wait to hear back if she has room in the lesson times I can make and if she even has a horses. I'm hoping for Rocky, but since Kokanee usually stays inside in the winter, I wouldn't object to him either. No standing around trying to towel dry him after lessons! We'll see. I'm not sure what I'll do if she doesn't have room/a horse, I could go somewhere else for a few months I guess. There's a place actually like a 30min walk (yes, walk!) from the place I live at in the city during the uni terms but 1. it's more expensive 2. you can really only walk there when there's no snow since there's a very steep hill that's rather dangerous to walk down during the winter 3. it's kind of falling apart (or it looks like it from the outside) 4. I'd feel bad riding somewhere else but maybe there isn't going to be a choice 5. i don't know anyone there

To Show or Not

Hoping to be back at the barn by the middle of November if not sooner! Not leasing yet though, she has changed the prices for pretty much everything so we are just going to do the "pre pay for 5 lessons" (which costs as much as the lease did originally), then when April comes around and exams are finished, I'm hoping we'll be able to start leasing again until September or so. Since I'll probably still be at the liquor store I should be able to get a few days completely off so that I can ride, and with any luck show.

If I do get to show this summer depends on a few things, like the lease price, I can't remember what it is now, but it did increase significantly. So whether or not my dad still wants to help out paying for shows and for some of the lease since there's zero chance he'll pay for the whole thing with what it costs now. At least if I'm thinking of the right price.

It also is going to depend on the horse. Showing Kokanee is not an option. He's a sweet horse, with a great jump, but he looks lame!!  His back left hip muscles are really stiff so when you're trotting/warming up he kind of hobbles along until he loosens up, so it looks like you're going to try and   make your lame horse go around a 2'6" course. ...You'd probably be disqualified in some shows actually...
Rocky, I don't know if K even wants him to be shown since he's like 18. Which is another good reason not to show him! Light jumping lessons are fine, but a whole day at a show... if you did one class I suppose that would be okay, but even then, they have 3 divisions, which I suppose would be like a lesson if you had three go's around a course.

I'm not even sure if I want to show regardless of the horse. Maybe if it was Pony or even Spencer (without W messing him up of course) then it would something to consider, but clearly that is not the case. Most of the time I don't mind not doing a lot of showing but then you go to Amberlea or the River Valley Classic to watch/help out a friend who is competing, and it's like wow, I wish I could ride in this too damn it. But for both of those shows you kind of need a certain type of horse, which Kokanee isn't and Rocky isn't quite that anymore.
Rocky actually could do pretty well, despite being old and having bench knees and being a pony, because he will jump anything from nearly any angle and has these fantastic sharp turns....I do miss him!!

So I guess we're going to have to wait and see what happens over the winter, next term does look a bit better for riding time...sort of. Usually it's work that gets in the way, not school and I'm not sure how much she can move shifts around when you only work 3 days a week, there's not a lot of options. Plus, I don't really want to give up my already limited number of hours because travel isn't cheap and neither is university abroad...and possibly showing now to haha. We make surprisingly good money at the store, well over minimum wage, but when the max time you can work is roughly 22 hours, it kind is not enough money...because I also like to shop and buy way to many books!
On an excellent note though, I am down about 3lbs this week, so hopefully I shall be able to keep this up and see an improvement in my riding ability! Whenever I make it back out to the barn that is....

So the horror of Rocky also being sold was short lived, K decided that she really couldn't sell him, so he'll be staying at the barn!

She offered to let me ride him this past Sunday after I finished barns for her, but it took to long and I leave or I'd be late for opening the store... I spent to much time playing with the cats I guess =/. I had been hoping to ride this weekend but my parents are taking my sister and her German exchange student to the Rockies this weekend and they're taking the only vehicle I can drive, so no luck.

L has bought a new mare. She's a four year old throughbred who was left in a pen with a donkey to get fat after she failed gate training for the track. She's really sweet but a bit skittish. She also doesn't have a name yet, she's been dubbed New Beast until she gets a real name.
She also can't be ridden yet since she's had very little under saddle work, but she'll be 5 this spring so it sounds like thats when they will start really working with her. For now is lunging and ground manners and that sort of thing.

Rocky

Rocket (Rockys son, he's only 1/16 appy or something ridiculous like that)

 Spencer :) from when I went to say bye

Selling Rocky?!

Ah the frustration! I haven't been to the barn since I went to say bye to Spencer, but have since heard from L that K is possibly getting Rocky in shape to sell him to some woman who was looking at him last year but then didn't have the money but does now. She's mentioned possibly selling him before because she's had him for so long. So that's just fantastic.....

And this weekend and next weekend I won't be able to ride because of midterms, gross. But I might have to try and work something else out as far as finding time to ride, depending on how my manager decides to schedule my Saturday shifts.

I've been thinking about possibly finding a new barn but I don't know. There's a couple that I quite like the sound of but they're a much longer drive and they don't have the same leasing program where you get to show the horse as well, so that kind of sucks. Even though I'm not as interested in showing as I was, the option would still be nice. I've been at this barn for almost 8 years and I don't think I'm going to be able to get to where I want at this barn, at least not with out my own horse, however the same is true for most barns I would imagine but at least with a new trainer there would be a new perspective and I could learn something new, or at least a new way of doing the same things. Haven't made any decisions yet though.

Saying Good-Bye

Spencer left for his 'new' home (he's going back to the people who W bought him from) today.

I got to say good bye to him, which was nice because I haven't really had that same opportunity with other horses. I went to see him before opening the store, a nice cheerful start to the day (don't you wish there was a sarcastic font?). Well I didn't have to pull over on the way back to town this time, so that's something.

Talked to K before I left and she said she's got horses for me, she hasn't "sold them all away" so hopefully the week after next I'll be able to start riding somewhat regularly but between opening the store and studying I don't know how frequently I'll be able to ride, but it's better than waiting until December! This self imposed exile from the barn has not been going well at all, so it will be good to go back.

I'm guessing the horses she means are Rocky (yay), Gody (meh) and Kokanee. The good thing about Kokanee is he stays inside during the winter so no waiting around for his coat to dry completely! That's at least something, and maybe I can kick his ass into gear. However, I have no desire to show him because when he trots he looks lame until his back left hip muscles loosen up. Not a good look.

More release! And toes in!

I have a few pictures of Spencer, I'll have more when I figure out how to get them off my phone.

Last Rides with Spencer

So last week and the week before were my last to rides with Spencer sadly.

He will be going back to Amberlea soon.

Last weeks ride was really good, we warmed up outside which was nice since it will be one of the last times of the year we can! He was really well behaved and our jumping course actually went better than I thought it would, so at the very least it was a good end to our time together. Especially since the week before hadn't been so good!

I've been trying to find out if he's gone or not but I haven't had much luck with people replying so I have no idea and I'm quite happy not be going to watch Harvest this year because by that time he'll already be there and that would be quite sad to see I think.
I haven't heard anything from W since she said "this is best for everyone", which is fine because I don't have much to say to her.

I'm hoping to ride Rocky once there's time between school and work  (god I hate my job at the store since school started. I have terrible coworkers and stupid customers. I'm sure most of you know what that can be like :P). It just sucks that couldn't have continued working through last winter and then this might not even be such a problem.