Actually that is not completely true. There will be no more Spencer in a couple of weeks, his owner has sold him. Back to the lady she bought him from funnily enough. Actually its not very funny at all. Everyone else seems to think it is though.
His owner texted me yesterday afternoon to say that he will be leaving in a few weeks and that "this is best for everyone". Ummm, no, no it isn't. It is best for you. Then she goes on to say "don't give up on him yet." You gave up on him, not me woman....oh the things I would like to say to her. Sadly, I can't, so instead I say them to you. Lucky you.
But last Saturday may have been our last ride together unless his owner goes back to the lake this weekend, but it's pretty chilly so she might not. In which case, she will ride, and I will not. Well, I wont ride him anyway. And because E is still riding Gody until the end of the month at least, I will probably be riding Kokanee. Not fun. He jumps cute, and in the winter he lives inside which is great, but he can be such a pain. I have photos of me and Spencer, sadly the really good jumps we had did not result in equally excellent photos :( but I shall try and find time soon to post them.
University is back in and it is okay-ish. The one psych prof is hilariously fantastic. Swedish, she seems nice, but it involves oral presentations (i cant even do those in English, so you see the dilemma) as well as possibly attending their Xmas party and having to sing whilst wearing a crown of candles. And I can tell you right now, that will not be happening. However, it seems like such an excellent language that I still want to take it! But i did well enough in french that maybe i can go back into that if I decide this is all to terrible to cope with. B.c there is already far to much stress involved with uni to have also deal with presentations... We shall see.
I'm not sure about continuing to work at the barn during uni though, because doing that plus working Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at the liquor store might be to much and I get way more hours at the store, and I won't get to go abroad unless I make more money :( I do have some wonderful stories about the customers. Wonderful is a strong word.
I've also found projects and old notes from my equine science class last year, so maybe I'll post those and it will be something to have between posts about actually riding.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Leasing v. Lessons
After much debate, I've dropped my lease and will only be riding once a week during the university term. Last year it worked to ride several times a week but it just isn't going to this year. I might not even be able to keep my job at the stable, but we shall see. There is another girl looking to work off a few extra lessons, and the easiest way is to give her my job. That way I can open the store on Saturdays rather than close and have more time for school (or fun stuff...not that clean the barn isn't fun..). Then I'll just have to find a new day to ride during the week and make sure I have away to and from the barn back to the university.
Spencer has been really good these last few lessons, although his owner has started riding him again, so that is a bit of a problem for our progress. Although earlier this week she finally sucked it up and cantered him properly, no freak outs or ripping on his mouth! Sadly it is to little to late. Some people came out to try him last week (or possibly the week before, I don't remember) and they are coming back this Thursday. Although we aren't sure how keen they are because they were planning on looking at another horse out by Calgary.
Spencer and I have been working on good up and down transitions, not so much on canter transitions, but definitely on walking/trotting and halting. He's getting very good at listening right away and keeping energy and form during the transitions and halting squarely. Hopefully this will help him sell quickly. We've started to carry a dressage whip rather than a jumping bat, and he's really great with it. He's much more respectful of it and I don't know if its because he can see it better or what, but its much less work getting him to do what you ask. Unless it's lead changes, but he's so much better than he was at the start where he would immediately drop down to a jarring simple change; now he will keep cantering on the wrong lead and every once in a while we get a lead change or at least a half one. Very much improved.
Our jumping has been quite good as well. The dressage whip is rather a pain to jump with, but it keeps me from turning my elbows weird by trying to keep it against my leg. We've only jumped 2'6"ish (some of the standards just have cups that slide up and down and only 2'9" is marked, so that's just a guess). He does well though. There have been jumps he hasn't seen before or in a while, such as the grey planks which have red swirls on one side, there's three planks on this for it stacked one on top of the other, as well as some bright blue standards and blue and white boxes. We've been having jumps with more filler lately, which makes things a bit more exciting; you never know which ones Spencer will decide he doesn't like!
Spencer has been really good these last few lessons, although his owner has started riding him again, so that is a bit of a problem for our progress. Although earlier this week she finally sucked it up and cantered him properly, no freak outs or ripping on his mouth! Sadly it is to little to late. Some people came out to try him last week (or possibly the week before, I don't remember) and they are coming back this Thursday. Although we aren't sure how keen they are because they were planning on looking at another horse out by Calgary.
Spencer and I have been working on good up and down transitions, not so much on canter transitions, but definitely on walking/trotting and halting. He's getting very good at listening right away and keeping energy and form during the transitions and halting squarely. Hopefully this will help him sell quickly. We've started to carry a dressage whip rather than a jumping bat, and he's really great with it. He's much more respectful of it and I don't know if its because he can see it better or what, but its much less work getting him to do what you ask. Unless it's lead changes, but he's so much better than he was at the start where he would immediately drop down to a jarring simple change; now he will keep cantering on the wrong lead and every once in a while we get a lead change or at least a half one. Very much improved.
Our jumping has been quite good as well. The dressage whip is rather a pain to jump with, but it keeps me from turning my elbows weird by trying to keep it against my leg. We've only jumped 2'6"ish (some of the standards just have cups that slide up and down and only 2'9" is marked, so that's just a guess). He does well though. There have been jumps he hasn't seen before or in a while, such as the grey planks which have red swirls on one side, there's three planks on this for it stacked one on top of the other, as well as some bright blue standards and blue and white boxes. We've been having jumps with more filler lately, which makes things a bit more exciting; you never know which ones Spencer will decide he doesn't like!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Back to being a terrible blogger, my apologizes. I do have most of the posts written out else where (work can be very boring), now I just have to type them.
Spencer has been really good for me this past while, which is helped by his owner not riding him. Even K knows it and says it. Because W is always ripping on his face he gets backed off and nervous but when she isn't riding (ruining) him, he's fanatastic!
He's still up for sale and it sounds like his owner is hoping he does not sell quickly, but since she's going through with it, I'd rather he just go. To a good home of course, but it sucks. I do now have official permission from K to ride him for me and make him the horse I want him to be (which is also the horse that will sell faster). So that is very exciting, and I have indeed been doing so far.
He was great today and last week, and I do have photos to upload sooner or later too!
We were stuck inside today because of the rain. He did some of the best leg yeilding his ever done today and some of the best upward transitions. C has been riding him with a dressage whip on the flat and he's gone really well, so we decided to give it a go today, and again, he did really really well.
The ferrier was at the barn today, and while I was talking K's horse Dexter back to his friend, he chomped on my thumb! The jerk, just out of no where too.
Better and more frequent posts to come!
Spencer has been really good for me this past while, which is helped by his owner not riding him. Even K knows it and says it. Because W is always ripping on his face he gets backed off and nervous but when she isn't riding (ruining) him, he's fanatastic!
He's still up for sale and it sounds like his owner is hoping he does not sell quickly, but since she's going through with it, I'd rather he just go. To a good home of course, but it sucks. I do now have official permission from K to ride him for me and make him the horse I want him to be (which is also the horse that will sell faster). So that is very exciting, and I have indeed been doing so far.
He was great today and last week, and I do have photos to upload sooner or later too!
We were stuck inside today because of the rain. He did some of the best leg yeilding his ever done today and some of the best upward transitions. C has been riding him with a dressage whip on the flat and he's gone really well, so we decided to give it a go today, and again, he did really really well.
The ferrier was at the barn today, and while I was talking K's horse Dexter back to his friend, he chomped on my thumb! The jerk, just out of no where too.
Better and more frequent posts to come!
Monday, August 6, 2012
First Ride Back
Saturday was my first ride back since BC, and Spencer was great!
He'd had the whole week off because his owner isn't riding him for some reason. We all thought she would be super psyched to ride after getting back from her clinic, I guess not.
I was surprised he wasn't as lazy as I expected and he put in a lot of effort over the canter poles, which he usually doesn't like, so that was exciting!
K had her "hunter queen" out to work with and she's apparently got a very strong dressage back ground so that's what she was doing with him and she used a dressage whip rather than a crop and K said he was just wonderful. How much she used it I don't know, maybe it was just that she had that he was better.
We did a grid and it felt kind of like he'd forgotten how to jump. As each new jump was added he seemed very surprised to see it. He tired though, hard. No running out or stopping, which is hard in a grid, but not impossible for him! Our last time through was perfect and he seemed happy enough to be back at work.
We always trotted into the grid which sometimes feels like a problem because it feels like there's no rhythm and I find that a hard way to start a jump course, he isn't to keen on it either but he has been doing much better when he was and even is able to keep cantering over poles when previously he always dropped to a trot. Over the poles on Saturday he was even doing lead changes, they weren't what was supposed to happen, but the fact he's doing them is amazing.
When i first started riding him, if ever ended up on the wrong lead he immediately did a simple change, but it was really jarring and it took a long time to get him to keep going on the wrong lead but in the end we could do it and now he's trying for lead changes!! I've only ever got about two deliberately with him, so this is great!
He'd had the whole week off because his owner isn't riding him for some reason. We all thought she would be super psyched to ride after getting back from her clinic, I guess not.
I was surprised he wasn't as lazy as I expected and he put in a lot of effort over the canter poles, which he usually doesn't like, so that was exciting!
K had her "hunter queen" out to work with and she's apparently got a very strong dressage back ground so that's what she was doing with him and she used a dressage whip rather than a crop and K said he was just wonderful. How much she used it I don't know, maybe it was just that she had that he was better.
We did a grid and it felt kind of like he'd forgotten how to jump. As each new jump was added he seemed very surprised to see it. He tired though, hard. No running out or stopping, which is hard in a grid, but not impossible for him! Our last time through was perfect and he seemed happy enough to be back at work.
We always trotted into the grid which sometimes feels like a problem because it feels like there's no rhythm and I find that a hard way to start a jump course, he isn't to keen on it either but he has been doing much better when he was and even is able to keep cantering over poles when previously he always dropped to a trot. Over the poles on Saturday he was even doing lead changes, they weren't what was supposed to happen, but the fact he's doing them is amazing.
When i first started riding him, if ever ended up on the wrong lead he immediately did a simple change, but it was really jarring and it took a long time to get him to keep going on the wrong lead but in the end we could do it and now he's trying for lead changes!! I've only ever got about two deliberately with him, so this is great!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Sorry for being such a terrible blogger.
Last weekend was the big River Valley Classic and L was riding in the 3' hunters, so I went with her on Friday to help out.
It started off pretty good but her horse refused a jump mid course and then again on her last course. Her second round was good and she got 8th place but they only give ribbons to 6th. Her courses looked really good, but they didn't get the leads and her mare is a paint...and snotty hunters and hunter judges don't like paints. Nor do I really, but I just mean I wouldn't buy one, not that they some how don't belong in the ring. She was the only paint there too, not even another in the jumpers. There was some adorable ponies in the jumpers, I wanted to steal them and take them back to the barn with me!
I didn't get any photos of L and her mare since I got to use her fancy camera, but I do have some of the other riders and once I find my camera cord I can post them.
We were quite pleased there was guys there, sadly they turned out to be pretty big circuit bitches too. Nice horses though.
So many beautiful warmbloods, TB's and sport horses! It actually looked like kind of a fun show to ride in! Shame Spencer is out of shape, hasn't got a passport and I don't have four hundred bucks to through on a show like that!! He's probably been there before from what it sounds like.
We had a lesson last Thursday and he was amazing!! He had a great forward canter, got all his distances and his leads during the jumping. It was really the most fantastic ride :) shame it's probably the only one we'll have like that. His owner is back on the 27th, so she'll be back to ruin him. Even K said she thinks the reason he did so well was his owner hadn't been there to screw him up and rip on his mouth so I didn't have anything to fix. I texted her telling (or kind of bragging) about how great he was and she replied with something about how he must be feeling good and fit or something and I'm dying to reply NO! IT"S BECAUSE YOU AREN'T HERE TO RUIN HIM. As you can see I'm still refusing to see this from her point of view. Because its stupid. Even if she does sell him she's going to end up falling off another horse one day and then she's going to freak out and have to sell him too. I want her to realize he could do for her what he does for me if she stopped being such a coward.
The bad thing is I'm gone for a week after she gets back so I doubt I'll hear about where she's deciding to sell him or not until I get back and by then he could already be gone. But if she does text/call to say she's going to sell him and right away while I'm gone, that will just ruin the whole trip! Lets just hope she grew a pair and can get over what happened.
Last weekend was the big River Valley Classic and L was riding in the 3' hunters, so I went with her on Friday to help out.
It started off pretty good but her horse refused a jump mid course and then again on her last course. Her second round was good and she got 8th place but they only give ribbons to 6th. Her courses looked really good, but they didn't get the leads and her mare is a paint...and snotty hunters and hunter judges don't like paints. Nor do I really, but I just mean I wouldn't buy one, not that they some how don't belong in the ring. She was the only paint there too, not even another in the jumpers. There was some adorable ponies in the jumpers, I wanted to steal them and take them back to the barn with me!
I didn't get any photos of L and her mare since I got to use her fancy camera, but I do have some of the other riders and once I find my camera cord I can post them.
We were quite pleased there was guys there, sadly they turned out to be pretty big circuit bitches too. Nice horses though.
So many beautiful warmbloods, TB's and sport horses! It actually looked like kind of a fun show to ride in! Shame Spencer is out of shape, hasn't got a passport and I don't have four hundred bucks to through on a show like that!! He's probably been there before from what it sounds like.
We had a lesson last Thursday and he was amazing!! He had a great forward canter, got all his distances and his leads during the jumping. It was really the most fantastic ride :) shame it's probably the only one we'll have like that. His owner is back on the 27th, so she'll be back to ruin him. Even K said she thinks the reason he did so well was his owner hadn't been there to screw him up and rip on his mouth so I didn't have anything to fix. I texted her telling (or kind of bragging) about how great he was and she replied with something about how he must be feeling good and fit or something and I'm dying to reply NO! IT"S BECAUSE YOU AREN'T HERE TO RUIN HIM. As you can see I'm still refusing to see this from her point of view. Because its stupid. Even if she does sell him she's going to end up falling off another horse one day and then she's going to freak out and have to sell him too. I want her to realize he could do for her what he does for me if she stopped being such a coward.
The bad thing is I'm gone for a week after she gets back so I doubt I'll hear about where she's deciding to sell him or not until I get back and by then he could already be gone. But if she does text/call to say she's going to sell him and right away while I'm gone, that will just ruin the whole trip! Lets just hope she grew a pair and can get over what happened.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Show Day!
Spencer did fantastic at the show on Saturday!!
We hauled with another lady from the barn who was bringing her 17hh Clydesdale mare, who is so adorable! She has the nicest trailer with a ramp and big jockey doors to let in lots of light so Spencer was happy enough to walk in, although he did try to follow me out side door after he was loaded!
He was calm and well behaved the whole time at the show, which is fantastic because he's only the second horse I've had that hasn't gone crazy at a show. There was about 8-10 people in the division, so there was some competition...even if one of the girls was about 5.
We got third in working hunter, first in handy hunter and third in the hunter stake! They even had proper hunter courses, which was nice and their footing wasn't as deep as it was last year but it was still not that great and he had to work much harder than he should have to get around such a small course.
We wont know for sure if he's being sold until his owner gets back in about two weeks, however she'll probably need a bit of time to decide after she gets back and if that takes more than about two days, I won't be here to find out and because his owner has never said anything to me about selling him, why would she if she decides to actually do it? I doubt K will say anything either since I find out pretty much everything from L, because even though she has nothing to do with me and Spencer she some how knows everything.
For example, K has this friend who is the queen of hunters and appearntly she is coming out work with Spencer while W is away. But she never bothered to tell me, so I have no idea when this woman is riding or anything. Great.
I'm so sick of having horses sold out from under me that last Thursday it fleetingly crossed my mind to just quit.
I don't know what will happen after he's sold, so we'll just have to wait and see for now. Not sure how fast he'll sell though, all that's on the market is fancy show horses or green horses right now.
Hopefully K will email the photos from the show soon because I can't figure out how to get mine from my blackberry on to the computer. Sadly it's bluetooth is not as simple as the old phones was.
We hauled with another lady from the barn who was bringing her 17hh Clydesdale mare, who is so adorable! She has the nicest trailer with a ramp and big jockey doors to let in lots of light so Spencer was happy enough to walk in, although he did try to follow me out side door after he was loaded!
He was calm and well behaved the whole time at the show, which is fantastic because he's only the second horse I've had that hasn't gone crazy at a show. There was about 8-10 people in the division, so there was some competition...even if one of the girls was about 5.
We got third in working hunter, first in handy hunter and third in the hunter stake! They even had proper hunter courses, which was nice and their footing wasn't as deep as it was last year but it was still not that great and he had to work much harder than he should have to get around such a small course.
We wont know for sure if he's being sold until his owner gets back in about two weeks, however she'll probably need a bit of time to decide after she gets back and if that takes more than about two days, I won't be here to find out and because his owner has never said anything to me about selling him, why would she if she decides to actually do it? I doubt K will say anything either since I find out pretty much everything from L, because even though she has nothing to do with me and Spencer she some how knows everything.
For example, K has this friend who is the queen of hunters and appearntly she is coming out work with Spencer while W is away. But she never bothered to tell me, so I have no idea when this woman is riding or anything. Great.
I'm so sick of having horses sold out from under me that last Thursday it fleetingly crossed my mind to just quit.
I don't know what will happen after he's sold, so we'll just have to wait and see for now. Not sure how fast he'll sell though, all that's on the market is fancy show horses or green horses right now.
Hopefully K will email the photos from the show soon because I can't figure out how to get mine from my blackberry on to the computer. Sadly it's bluetooth is not as simple as the old phones was.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Show
There's a (hopefully) small show this Saturday, so me and Spencer are riding in the hunter cross pole division (how incredibly exciting).
The nice thing is I really don't care at all about this show, so I'm not that nervous!! Which is always nice, but I mean it's cross poles, so who cares?! Hopefully it will be a laugh and a way to see what he's like at shows.
In the past this series of shows has been tiny, my barn was pretty much the only one there besides the host stable, which is not that big either!
The only bad thing is whoever designs their courses, are just a little bit mad. They have crazy turns and weird lines and stuff, but again at 18" even Spencer could handle it. Their footing is really, really deep however, so that will probably be a pain in the ass.
Now he just needs a show name... L likes "The Earl of Spencer" but I kind of like "Obvious Flair" although he really hasn't got much. But we'll see...
The nice thing is I really don't care at all about this show, so I'm not that nervous!! Which is always nice, but I mean it's cross poles, so who cares?! Hopefully it will be a laugh and a way to see what he's like at shows.
In the past this series of shows has been tiny, my barn was pretty much the only one there besides the host stable, which is not that big either!
The only bad thing is whoever designs their courses, are just a little bit mad. They have crazy turns and weird lines and stuff, but again at 18" even Spencer could handle it. Their footing is really, really deep however, so that will probably be a pain in the ass.
Now he just needs a show name... L likes "The Earl of Spencer" but I kind of like "Obvious Flair" although he really hasn't got much. But we'll see...
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