Due to starting a new job this year my riding schedule has been all out of whack. I didn't make it to any shows (which nearly killed me) because I was too broke from not having a job and finishing grad school. We didn't jump school as much this year as last year. I really wanted to fine tune our flat work, specifically our dressage. My goal was/is to become more upright, round and collected. I want to be able to jump the big jumps and not epically fail a dressage test. Here's a glimpse of our year.
January: Nope. Not even happening. Twister being his usually pushy self. Heavy on the forehand, ready to yank me out of the saddle at any moment.
February: No improvement. Lots of snow and ice late Jan through to almost March and we didn't get in as much schooling time as I would have liked. Mostly we just played in the snow and chased the dogs around for 4 weeks.....
March: No photographic evidence I even got on a horse for a whole month, but I assure you I did. Snow and ice turned to mud, more rides up and down the road. Every few days I rode all the way to the tracks and back, sometimes further. Only thing that got better were Twister's bare hooves.
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| Not a good, round day for us....... Though if I remember correctly there was no running off and no yanking me on his neck..... |
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| However, this was an AWESOME canter day for us. I wish I could have found something to jump! |
May: May started out strong, then Twister hurt his hip by being a fatass and getting stuck in the eurosizer while trying to eat the weeds growing in it............
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| Not a very round day, but a light day. So I'll take it....
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| Light and responsive. Nice and forward without me worrying about running off |
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| UGLY |
July: So much was going on in July. I was trying to pass my licensing exams and was quitting one job, starting another and going on trip home to NY to visit family. We did a lot of jumping that month, it was dry, Twister's feet weren't sore and I had people around to "babysit" me while I jumped the bigger jumps incase something happened.....
August: I guess the 2 or 3 weeks off was too much for him. We got ugly again.
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| ugly............ |
September: the yo yo month. Rode a lot in September despite the fact I had started a new full time job on the first of that month. But then again it was still day light at 6 or 7 and I could ride after work.........
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| we are trying to do the right things here, but not quite getting it |
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| now THIS is what I'm talking about |
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| borrowing a dressage saddle does not make you a dressage team... |
October: Yes, I live in KY. Yes I rode in a t-shirt in October.
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| Really really trying. Nearly getting it! At least he's not mega on the forehand |
November: Went to a dressage clinic/lesson in the middle of the month. Best thing ever. Learned lots of little tricks and skills to help us reach our end goal: round, light, responsive pony. See clinic blog post for more about the clinic.
December: So I haven't been riding too much. And the few times I have, Twister had been a class A asshat. Got on him yesterday to school dressage and what a GOOD pony he was!!!!! Now I just have to help us keep this kind of work a regular, consistent thing! And there WILL be more lessons in our future. Definitely worth it. Totally helped.
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| NOT ugly!!!!! YAY! |
Little by little , step by step. Twister is the happiest horse on planet earth since he met you. He' d just be hanging out eating if he was lucky. But instead he is getting to go places and look handsome and enjoy different places
ReplyDeletesome of the pics are really good winning pics.
Twister would jump through fire for you.
Hope it remains a fun thing to do by which you both can grow.
Twister was my fiance's pony for our racehorses before he met me. He's always had a job and been a working horse. He loves to work.
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ReplyDeleteStuck in the euro sizer? Wow! He looks good throughout the year :)
ReplyDeleteYea. In winning style as only he could do.......... I thought he was going to break his hip but he just bruised it.
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