The Canadian prairies have had a really messed up winter so far with almost no snow and it was +5 on Christmas Day when it's normally -15 or -20. Our luck is out now and winter's finally shown up with it's wonderful -30's, it was -31C at the train station and it's -41C with the wind. Yaaaa... Supposed to be -47 and some poor town was down to -51.
When people talk about the average temperature in a Canadian winter, they think of stuff like this but turns out our average is only -10 or something, I guess they aren't counting the wind.
All the poor people waiting 9 hours for a tow truck! Well as long as the trains/buses keep running, I should at least make it to the university, unless I die of hypothermia first. It takes like 5 minutes for exposed skin to freeze in these temperatures. Although the only exposed skin would be my eyes, there's a few people walking around with ski goggles on too. To bad I left mine back home...
Riding is clearly cancelled for the week, lucky Kokanne can stay warm in the barn at night. But that probably means he'll be a huuuuge tool next week.
I hope you guys are at least a bit warmer than we are here!
Showing posts with label Winter in Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter in Canada. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Hi From Storm :)
My lovely dog making a stupid face. (She has arthritis in her hips so she gets a jacket to help the cold from bothering them.)
Friday, November 18, 2011
But its coooooold!
Feeling very not Canadian at the moment, because I get to work tomorrow and with the wind it's going to be -34! Yay Alberta! Plus the roads will be icy and the van hasn't got snow tires, so that's sure to be a treat. And its going to be dark and cold and I don't own any snow/windproof pants and rubber boots are terrible at keeping feet warm!
Ah I'm sorry, I'm such a whiner. Especially since this is only the beginning...just wait til its -45! and school isn't ever cancelled, uni or otherwise..no snow days up here =(
But look what finally got here! Hopefully I can find to read and you know actually DO the workouts. For the most part they seem like strength training, which is good and then I can do my own cardio. I haven't worked out in ages so I bet I'm back at the stage where a good workout leaves your crippled the next day because of all the lactic acid in the muscle. I hope so, after a while that stopped happening and even though I give nothing more to a lot of my workouts with out dying in the gym I wasn't ever sore the next day, and that just seems to me like I didn't work hard enough, even though there was no way to have done more.
And this is the lovely collage you can see in the back of the first picture. I spent ages making it last weekend after finally deciding it was okay to cut up my Spruce Meadows year book things and the very few English photos from Horse Canada, which is regrettably mostly western oriented.
Ah I'm sorry, I'm such a whiner. Especially since this is only the beginning...just wait til its -45! and school isn't ever cancelled, uni or otherwise..no snow days up here =(
But look what finally got here! Hopefully I can find to read and you know actually DO the workouts. For the most part they seem like strength training, which is good and then I can do my own cardio. I haven't worked out in ages so I bet I'm back at the stage where a good workout leaves your crippled the next day because of all the lactic acid in the muscle. I hope so, after a while that stopped happening and even though I give nothing more to a lot of my workouts with out dying in the gym I wasn't ever sore the next day, and that just seems to me like I didn't work hard enough, even though there was no way to have done more.
And this is the lovely collage you can see in the back of the first picture. I spent ages making it last weekend after finally deciding it was okay to cut up my Spruce Meadows year book things and the very few English photos from Horse Canada, which is regrettably mostly western oriented.Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Snow
It's finally snowed here, and it's supposed to be something like 15cm (if not more) on Thursday, and if the roads are super sucky I might not be able to make it to the barn, so that's disappointing, but should give lots of time to start on the Equine Science assignment. We have to make a fact sheet on one of his topics or one of our own. Mine's going to be on bit and bridle fitting for jumping and dressage. It's not due until December, but should start...
Once uni is done in April, I should be able to ride a lot more and I really want to taking dressage lessons too. So I'll have to talk to K when it gets closer, but I'm hoping to swap a jumping lesson for a dressage one. There's basically zero chance of me and Rocky placing at all let alone winning, especially at Amberlea but cross training is always good and there will inevitably be another horse after him and perhaps we will have more of a chance.
And this is what I'm hoping to buy whenever the bookstore finally orders it in!The Riders Fitness Program and with any luck it will also help with the lower back pain at the trot, although there wasn't any with Zander this week and I don't remember if there was on Thursday.
Once uni is done in April, I should be able to ride a lot more and I really want to taking dressage lessons too. So I'll have to talk to K when it gets closer, but I'm hoping to swap a jumping lesson for a dressage one. There's basically zero chance of me and Rocky placing at all let alone winning, especially at Amberlea but cross training is always good and there will inevitably be another horse after him and perhaps we will have more of a chance.
This is what I did on my long weekend rather than homework. Hooray for procrastination!
And this is what I'm hoping to buy whenever the bookstore finally orders it in!The Riders Fitness Program and with any luck it will also help with the lower back pain at the trot, although there wasn't any with Zander this week and I don't remember if there was on Thursday.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
New Horse?
So the cold is apparently on its way (ah Canadian winters are always a treat) and because Rocky is terrified of blankets our time together will be over very soon until spring arrives. Which really sucks, I haven't talked to K today but it looks like Roxy and one other horse are in need or riders and between those two Roxy is my top pick because she's a tad bit crazy and I enjoy crazy. Although I don't think she's crazy like Pony was, she's terrified of getting booted or having her mouth yanked on and that's what makes her do weird things, she's just nervous, but once she figures out that you aren't going to do anything like that she settles right down. I so wish I had Pony back. Anyway, we'll find out if I have a horse at all tonight or if we're driving all the way to the barn for there to be no horses.
I'm rather annoyed now that I might not have Rocky because November is "challenge month" at the barn and today was going to be adding and lengthening strides but I think there's a new girl riding and for some reason this challenge is next week or something like that I don't know. Either way this would have been something me and Rocky could have owned, but now that will probably not be happening.
I guess the nice thing about getting to ride all these different horses is that you get a lot more experience and diversity will dealing with different personalities and preferences but at the same time it sucks soooo bad! One day, one day I can have my own horse and this will be a far smaller problem. But then every horse has something to teach and now it's time to find out what the next horse has to offer...until spring. Then it's back to Rocky.
I'm rather annoyed now that I might not have Rocky because November is "challenge month" at the barn and today was going to be adding and lengthening strides but I think there's a new girl riding and for some reason this challenge is next week or something like that I don't know. Either way this would have been something me and Rocky could have owned, but now that will probably not be happening.
I guess the nice thing about getting to ride all these different horses is that you get a lot more experience and diversity will dealing with different personalities and preferences but at the same time it sucks soooo bad! One day, one day I can have my own horse and this will be a far smaller problem. But then every horse has something to teach and now it's time to find out what the next horse has to offer...until spring. Then it's back to Rocky.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Bad Kind of Excitement....
Had a little to much unnecessary excitement on the highway tonight.
Nasty weather today has made the highways a bit treacherous, on the way out they weren't to bad, there were sections where you could feel the wind pushing against the van and snow was blowing over the road. I didn't see anyone in the ditch and there weren't a lot of other cars on the highways, which was good.
On the way home it was a lot more wind and a lot more blowing snow, plus the added bonus of black ice. There were more drivers too.
So, I was about 3km from the turn off into the city, and there is a huge big rig truck ahead. He was slowing down but not stepping to break so there were no lights. I stepped on the break to try and slow down behind him, I did...then we (meaning me and the van) hit some black ice. She (the van) started to fish tale, and not just a little one, but wide swinging ones across the other lane, so I cranked the steering wheel in the opposite direction, over compensating, we turned and slide around to the left and back to the right a couple times. Heading towards a bridge, and really, in a semi out of control vehicle is where you want to be heading, what with the nice cement supports. Actually, with all the snow drifts there was no way we'd make it there. Anyway, thank god for ABS breaks, otherwise we would be in the ditch, but we stopped a few feet short and no one was hurt. No one was anyone near me, so me and the van posed no risk to them while we were swinging wildly down the road.
As for Tommy, he was okay. He has a really flat trot, and I've decided that I don't really want to use the crop, I get why people want to use them or need them, but I think, for me and Tommy anyway, it's kind of like taking the easy way out. I'd rather have to work harder to get him to do the work. That might be a bit different for when it comes to jumping, but we'll see. So yeah, flat trot, but we did lots of circles and some serpentines, unfortunately there were a couple other people there. The one lady is really nice, but the second is the best dressage rider at our barn and she kind of acts like she owns the whole arena. She's so annoying. I like watching her ride, but I hate riding with her. You try to do your thing and stay out of her way at the same time, but she makes no effort to stay out of your way. We pass left to left, but she was like "try not to get so close, he's being a bit crazy." She was polite enough, but at the same time its kind of frustrating because I ALWAYS try to be out of her way but then its harder for me to focus on what I want to be doing with Tommy as well.
He was less than great at the canter, he had trouble picking up the left lead and trouble keeping it, always dropping it at the gate and doing this rushed trot when I asked him to canter, even when we were starting from a balanced trot. Once we finally got it, he did well at the circles and what not. But at the right, not much better. He picked up the lead okay, but it was kind of impossible to do our 20m circles and other exercises because the dressage rider kept getting in the way.
Going out again tomorrow after kick boxing, so hopefully there will be less to no people in the barn.
Nasty weather today has made the highways a bit treacherous, on the way out they weren't to bad, there were sections where you could feel the wind pushing against the van and snow was blowing over the road. I didn't see anyone in the ditch and there weren't a lot of other cars on the highways, which was good.
On the way home it was a lot more wind and a lot more blowing snow, plus the added bonus of black ice. There were more drivers too.
So, I was about 3km from the turn off into the city, and there is a huge big rig truck ahead. He was slowing down but not stepping to break so there were no lights. I stepped on the break to try and slow down behind him, I did...then we (meaning me and the van) hit some black ice. She (the van) started to fish tale, and not just a little one, but wide swinging ones across the other lane, so I cranked the steering wheel in the opposite direction, over compensating, we turned and slide around to the left and back to the right a couple times. Heading towards a bridge, and really, in a semi out of control vehicle is where you want to be heading, what with the nice cement supports. Actually, with all the snow drifts there was no way we'd make it there. Anyway, thank god for ABS breaks, otherwise we would be in the ditch, but we stopped a few feet short and no one was hurt. No one was anyone near me, so me and the van posed no risk to them while we were swinging wildly down the road.
As for Tommy, he was okay. He has a really flat trot, and I've decided that I don't really want to use the crop, I get why people want to use them or need them, but I think, for me and Tommy anyway, it's kind of like taking the easy way out. I'd rather have to work harder to get him to do the work. That might be a bit different for when it comes to jumping, but we'll see. So yeah, flat trot, but we did lots of circles and some serpentines, unfortunately there were a couple other people there. The one lady is really nice, but the second is the best dressage rider at our barn and she kind of acts like she owns the whole arena. She's so annoying. I like watching her ride, but I hate riding with her. You try to do your thing and stay out of her way at the same time, but she makes no effort to stay out of your way. We pass left to left, but she was like "try not to get so close, he's being a bit crazy." She was polite enough, but at the same time its kind of frustrating because I ALWAYS try to be out of her way but then its harder for me to focus on what I want to be doing with Tommy as well.
He was less than great at the canter, he had trouble picking up the left lead and trouble keeping it, always dropping it at the gate and doing this rushed trot when I asked him to canter, even when we were starting from a balanced trot. Once we finally got it, he did well at the circles and what not. But at the right, not much better. He picked up the lead okay, but it was kind of impossible to do our 20m circles and other exercises because the dressage rider kept getting in the way.
Going out again tomorrow after kick boxing, so hopefully there will be less to no people in the barn.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Yesterdays True Delights
Normally I drive to the stable alone, but yesterday my friend wanted me to go with her. She drove to my house and we took my van to the stable. We would have been fine if the barn owners dog hadn't come running down the drive way, which is a small hill. I had to bring the van to a complete stop because the stupid dog wouldn't get out of the way, and once we were stopped she ran past towards the house, and then, the van was stuck. It carved out a pretty big rut into the snow, but it backed out quite easily....until it got stuck again.
This time it was not moving anywhere. So we tried shoveling the snow out from the tires and using 3rd and Low gear. No luck, we put towels under the tires to try and get traction and my friend tried to push the van, zero luck. Forward or back.
So we went to talk to our trainer to see if she had some planks we could put under the tires. She told us not to worry and go get our horses. We did that and after the lesson she was teaching was over she came out with me and one of the other girls that was there to get it out. We shovelled more out from the tires and her and the other girl pushed it out. Finally it started going, I guess we just need that extra person to help push it out.
Then when we were all tacked up and about to head into the arena, the power goes out. None of the horses were bothered by it, and it took a minute before the emergency lights kicked in. It takes a couple minutes or the barn and arena lights to warm up after that, but they eventually came back on, so we could actually ride.
The lesson its self was good, we did some trot poles that Tommy had no problem with, we did the same exercises as last day, but he was better this time. At least when we cantered in. The first part of the exercises was to trot in canter out. Tommy had no interest in cantering out, but we got it in the end. He was getting fairly strung out before the jump, but again it was tiny and no challenge for him. He did much better over the six stride line too. We didn't get into close to the first so the second was good. Got him nice and balanced back in the middle, so it defiantly a good lesson.
This time it was not moving anywhere. So we tried shoveling the snow out from the tires and using 3rd and Low gear. No luck, we put towels under the tires to try and get traction and my friend tried to push the van, zero luck. Forward or back.
So we went to talk to our trainer to see if she had some planks we could put under the tires. She told us not to worry and go get our horses. We did that and after the lesson she was teaching was over she came out with me and one of the other girls that was there to get it out. We shovelled more out from the tires and her and the other girl pushed it out. Finally it started going, I guess we just need that extra person to help push it out.
Then when we were all tacked up and about to head into the arena, the power goes out. None of the horses were bothered by it, and it took a minute before the emergency lights kicked in. It takes a couple minutes or the barn and arena lights to warm up after that, but they eventually came back on, so we could actually ride.
The lesson its self was good, we did some trot poles that Tommy had no problem with, we did the same exercises as last day, but he was better this time. At least when we cantered in. The first part of the exercises was to trot in canter out. Tommy had no interest in cantering out, but we got it in the end. He was getting fairly strung out before the jump, but again it was tiny and no challenge for him. He did much better over the six stride line too. We didn't get into close to the first so the second was good. Got him nice and balanced back in the middle, so it defiantly a good lesson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)