She's a Trail Horse?

We've had our fun throughout the summer. The weather has turned and slowly the hints of winter are coming. Gross! Say goodbye to scalding hot days, shorts, horseback riding, and everything that is fun. Now say hello to boredom, the cold, and more boredom... Although we live in a major ski area it is way to expensive for me to keep it up.

I have tried to enjoy our non snow days as much as possible but still my schedule keeps me from riding much, if at all! Ava needs a lot more work but she still acts better than I could have hoped. So as long as I can keep that constant then we're good! I have also been looking into buying a horse trailer, yes, or as I like to call them "freedom!" Due to future events (still a secret!) I will need one fairly soon. So excited! When we finally acquire a trailer I will be going to shows left and right which is even more exciting. In the meantime I've decided only to focus on our showmanship and trail riding. Showmanship has looked really good and as for trail riding she does fine. My next project is to find as many scary things as possible, maybe even make an obstacle course!

Our shadow selves

Hello rumpy

The result of a hungry horse. Still not sure how she does it!

One of the walks

Hello!

Yawning after our lazy ride

Some enjoyment while being 21

Between the Misty Mountains

Went to the barn today and actually worked Ava and even rode! When I got there I saw that some clouds were covering the mountains, it was gorgeous!!

So pretty!

This one is my favorite, the color is great!

I grabbed Ava and walked her inside. She was dirty but luckily I don't think she rolled, my job would have gotten about a thousand times worse if she did. I took her inside and brushed her off. While doing this I noticed that Ava had some swelling on her hind left leg (from her ankle to her the top of her cannon). She gets it a lot in that leg but doesn't seem to cause her any pain; she may have slipped on the mud and tweaked her leg a bit. Exercising seemed to help but at the end I put some Sore-No-More on it just in case. After I groomed her I free lunged her in the round pen until her freshness wore off. I didn't even plan to ride until I was done lunging, I thought I would give it a shot. Got her all tacked up (while she stood like a champ) and then went back into the round pen for round 2. Ava remembered everything, she only needed some minor refreshing on a couple things but otherwise she was great. I'm really happy to know we've made progress throughout this year. If this was a year earlier I would be starting from the beginning again. So she has come a long way! I have been longing for a day like this, I never thought we would get this far.

We didn't ride too long, I thought it was enough for the first day back. I finished with a nice grooming and then gave her a little bundle of grass as a treat.

Pretty girl in front of the misty mountains, I love this photo!

I also made ornaments for all of the boarders down at The Ranch. They are mini hats, I'll have to show you guys a picture of them, they are adorable and super easy to make! Maybe I'll post a tutorial for everyone to try. Anyways, today was a good day and we still don't have any snow, yay!

Ornaments for The Ranch boarders.

My 100th Post!!

I can't believe it but I've reached my 100th post marker! It's seems almost yesterday when I started this blog; not thinking anything about how far I would be now. I'm the kind of person that cannot commit to things very well (not a good trait!). You all have literally kept me going with this blog, I'm still surprised that fourteen people want to hear about my crazy little life; but it makes me happy and always keeps me going. So thank you everyone!

I finally visited Ava today. Although, when I got there it was almost dark and the indoor arena was even darker inside. We couldn't find the big lights so we had only a few small ones to keep it bright enough, it didn't help much but better than nothing. I brought in Ava and let her loose into the indoor with Poco, she didn't do much (surprisingly), just walked around with some trotting here and there. Then I went in and ran them around for a bit so they could stretch her legs for a bit. She did great, nothing too crazy. After that I took her outside and brushed her off a bit. She got nervous when Poco went out of sight which I don't like, this means I'll have to work her more by herself.. Otherwise she'll get too attached. Anyways, I finished brushing her and walked her around the barn, her head finally lowered and then I took her back to her dinner. It ended up being really nice out there. I'll be going back tomorrow but this time earlier so we can start getting back to some real work; it's about time!

I'm super excited for Christmas/Solstice. We actually don't celebrate Christmas though, we celebrate Solstice and make all of our gifts from home, so I've got a lot of work to do. On top of that we are also doing an ornament exchange with the family but I'm also going to make some for the boarders down at The Ranch too, it's going to be fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my lovely turkeys! I hope you all have a great meal and enjoy all of your family, friends, and pets. I'm excited for tonight, we'll be going to my aunt's house for a huge feast and stuff our stomachs.

I saw over on Adventures with Shyloh that she was doing a survey that she got from Cob Jockey, so I thought I would do it as well.

Splurge or save: 

1) saddle: I would save (no matter how tempting), I want a good saddle
2) board: I try to look for the best deal
3) halter: save, sometimes depends
4) bit:  splurge!
5) bridle: already have the best bridle ever!
6) saddle pad: save!

7) trailer: no truck and trailer...

First thing that comes to mind: 
1) Haflinger: Shyloh from Adventures with Shyloh!
2) Quarter Horse: Mindy and Diez, Clinton Anderson's horse's
3) Thoroughbred: Seabiscuit
4) Warmblood: my trainer's horse
5) Welsh Cob: nothing 0.0

This or That:
1) english or western: western
2) tall or short: I like me some tall horses :)
3) trail ride or beach ride: Trail ride, never been on a beach ride
4) long mane or short mane: depends
5) hunters or jumpers: Hunters
6) XC or barrel racing: XC
7) outdoor arena or indoor arena: depends on the weather, I can be a wimp :P
8) trot or canter: canter!
9) canter or gallop: canter, galloping can be scary.
10) paddock boots, tall boots, or cowboy boots: cowboy boots
11) horse shoes or barefoot: barefoot, for the win!
12) saddle or bareback: If I had a well behaved horse I would always ride bareback.

About you: 
1) How long have you been riding? I would say about five years of true riding.
2) Do you own or lease a horse? Own
3) Breed? Age? Height? Name? (if you don’t own or lease, you could talk about your lesson horse) Paint, 6, 15.3hh, WW Miss Smoke Sarah, Ava

4) Do you have any other pets? Yes, personally I have three ferrets (Wolfie, Stella, Nala)
5) If your horse was a person, what kind of voice would they have (you can use a celebrity for an example) Most of the time Ava would be some kind of snarky and sassy teenage girl.

6) Does your horse have a “color”? If so, what is it, and what do you have in that color? Purple!!

7) Does your horse do any tricks? She prances and rears up like a circus pony...

8) Have you ever dressed your horse up for Halloween?  No

Favorites: 
1) Breed? Paints, Arabians, Quarter Horses
2) Discipline? Don't really have one, trail riding?

3) Coat color? Gray and dappled horses
4) Famous horse? Hmm, Seabiscuit, Zippo Pine Bar, Secretariat
5) Horse race/competition? Kentucky Derby!
6) Brand of tack? Circle Y
7) Thing to do with your horse?  Trail riding and treating her like a dog a times.

Gobble Gobble!!

Attacks from Something Called Panic

Wow, I'm not getting very lucky on weather here. For the past few weeks it has been raining, sleet, and even windy at some times. I haven't gone down to the barn since Sunday; and I hope the weather will clear up soon. Although, even if I go down there I am not too keen on riding. I am almost too afraid to ride now. I can't risk myself getting hurt again or if I fall again and make my head worse just as it is getting better. I don't want Ava's progress to suffer just because of me, she doesn't deserve it; but I bet she doesn't mind either. I'm really fine without riding though, I am just as happy to lunge her a bit, hang in her pasture, go on walks, and just take care of her; but the pressure from my barn, actually from my BO makes me feel guilty for not riding her. My BO just doesn't understand those kinds of things and basically just wants you to suck it up and ride the crap out of your horse... Ugh, so much on my mind...

I feel different after falling off Ava... Not myself; or at least not 100%. I have also been starting to have panic attacks too; before I fell I can't recall the last time I had one, if any. They are really nerve racking and make me not want to sleep anymore (which sucks because I already have a lot of trouble falling asleep). So, I am starting to work on getting through them; but sometimes they sneak up on you, which is really creepy.

In other news, school is almost over for the semester! I will be so glad to be done with these classes, I liked them but I really can't wait for a long break. I also registered for the Spring semester too, I'll only be taking Film & Literature and Yoga, both go for my core classes and will be fun! I'm really starting to like creative writing and just English in general; a possible major?!? We may see!

Oh No! Winter Depression...

It snowed last night. Luckily we only got about half an inch; but it still looks like we could get more. I didn't see Ava yesterday. For some reason I just didn't have it in me to go down there. It has been super cold here lately and I really didn't want to deal with it down at the barn. I think I'm starting to get that Winter depression thing; all I want to do is sit at home watch television, read books, write stories, and draw; in the summer I'm basically outside 24/7. It's really weird but right now those are the only things I feel like doing. Ava most likely didn't mind though, being in a huge pasture and all. I bet I'll regret it the next time I work her but whatever, it's too darn cold! I don't even think I will go down today. Ugh, I feel so lazy!

I cannot wait for Summer to come back. Winter is pointless for me; skiing is too expensive, skate skiing freaks me out (permanently injured my ankle...), and ice skating gets boring after a while. So, yeah, not much for me to do.

In other news Thanksgiving is only 8 days away!! I'm really excited, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love cooking and bringing over food for everyone to feast on, it is a great time of the year.

Below are pictures from the day I fell off.

Here is the Collegiate saddle I tried out.
It sits evenly on her back but was a little small in the gullet.

Front view

Ava ready to go

A Light in a Dark Room

Thank you everyone for your kind words. This past week has been difficult. My concussion symptoms aren't letting up quite yet. I have also noticed that my eyes can't adjust to light very well. They will dilate but then try to adjust which in turn gives me headaches. It scared me when I first saw it, it was really creepy. On top of that, Ava almost hit me in the head (which could have made things much worse), school gives me a big headache and painful eyes (even while sitting there), and I wish it was Summer again... Mainly I just want my concussion to heal, I read it could take up to 4 weeks to heal! And at this point I could actually see that happening...

I went out to the barn yesterday. I don't quite trust myself driving yet so I had my mom go with me just in case. I wasn't there long. I grabbed Ava, still agitated with her and took her to the round pen (finally no one was using it). I worked her hard. Since I won't ride for a while lunging will have to be her workout. After she was all sweaty I took her into the arena and worked on some desensitization with a plastic bag. Luckily my BO wasn't there and I could do almost anything I wanted. Ava did pretty good. She is still not very relaxed but it was better today.

I also learned that some of the mare's at the barn are in heat; and I'm thinking that Ava is as well. I always forget she can get really moody when she goes into heat. So, that could be another reason she was acting horrible the other day. Although the main reason she was being horrible is that there was a rider in the outdoor arena and she couldn't see much besides the bobbing of the riders head, so I know that weirded her out. So, overall Ava did fine, I did my best to push her without pushing myself and in return I think it helped.

There may be hope for the little white mare.

Not Tomorrow but the Next Day

School starts on Monday, you most likely already know that, I've only been talking about it for like the past few weeks! I've got everything ready except for my mind. It will be hard for me to get back on that kind of schedule, I get so used to summer! Anyways, I'm nervous, anxious, excited, and kind of depressed, I wish it was the beginning of summer again.

Not much up with Ava. Same old same old. She's doing good on her training, she had her feet done and is feeling really get up and go again but at least I know she is more comfortable. It's neat though, even when she is feeling good I don't feel too nervous to get on her anymore, hard work can pay off!

I'll update more soon, just didn't want to leave everyone in the cold.

New Boots!

Well, they are new boots to me! My aunt had some western riding boots that she has had for a while but didn't wear them much because they were too big. So, when she came over she said that I could have them! I was really excited because I was actually looking for a new pair of boots too and now I don't have to pay a ton of money for them, so that is great. They are Ariat's, they kind of look like a FatBaby but I'm not 100% sure. They fit great and are basically new, can't wait to ride in them.

School starts in 10 days... This semester I'll be taking English 2, Pilates, and Spanish 1. It'll be a lot of work especially having to work Babe five days a week and medicating Wolfie three times a day but at least I'll be that much closer to a degree. I still don't really know what I want my degree to be, possibly something in Biology or Animal Science or even be like Oprah, have my own show and help people. It can get really stressful having to decide!

Summer's Almost Over?!

I just realized that in a week and six days I will be starting school... My wonderful school free summer will be over. It is really bumming me out, sometimes it is hard to put a smile on my face knowing that I will be busy with schoolwork for the next four months. Not only that but almost everyone I know will be going back to school too, which means I won't be seeing them anymore. I hate it, I wish summer could be forever.

My girl has been doing good with her training for the past few days. She can almost get the correct lead every time and her pace for trotting and cantering is getting quite a bit better. She isn't as out of control as in the beginning. She also stands nicely in the cross ties. I had to go and untack a horse that had the saddle I was going to use and Ava stood there like a champ, no pawing, nothin'! Even with a ton of stuff going on, I was really happy. When I start school back up I plan to make a post of our achievements so I can see how far we've come and be able to look back on it.

After we were done with our session I took her out for a bath. My BO's older son came out there with one of the lady's grandson and was talking to me basically the whole time/teasing me the whole time. It was quite entertaining. Even though he can tease the crap out of me sometimes, I'm actually going to really miss it. We have fun "torturing" each other. He and his brother start school, I think, on the same day I do and I don't think they will get down to The Ranch much or at all. I still have to ask but I can't see it happening. The barn will be so different without them, who is going to tease me for the whole winter! Maybe they can do it on the weekends...