Still Alive

Don't worry I am still alive, just eaten up with tons of school and some tough family stuff.

Ava has been good. I don't see her much at the moment but get down there when I can. The arena is finally melting and we will finally be able to start working again!

I also received (after almost 3-4 weeks of waiting) my leopard gecko, Beju! He is amazing and I already love him. They are also super easy to care for, it is amazing!

Ava nipping Poco

Our first day back to work

Beju was finally starting to explore his vivarium

It's Hot and Cold

Well over the weekend I went to the hospital with my mom and visited my grandfather for a few days. Overall it wasn't bad, besides feeling anxious and panicky I had a good time and even got a dress and shoes for a junior prom my friend invited me to! My grandfather seemed to have improved since the last I saw him. We were surprised when the doctor said he could come home today! We've been waiting to hear that for such a long time now!

Yesterday I got a ride in, a quick one but a wonderful one. A cutting class was going on inside the barn so I warmed up Ava and then rode her outside (because the weather has been so lovely lately!), in the field next to the outdoor arena. We walked, trotted, and even cantered!! I've never cantered Ava out in the open like that before, it was such a great moment.

Today I talked to my BO about some different places to move and he actually had a good suggestion. I drove out to the place he told me about and although it may not have been The Ranch, it looked good. It had a round pen, lit outdoor arena, lots of trails, and a nice pasture for the girls to run around in. So, I think we may get a tour of it, doesn't hurt! After having a little chat I went on another ride. I wanted to ride outside but Ava was being a little squirrely so we stayed in. It was a fine ride, I didn't lunge her before getting on so she started out kind of speed racer like. Afterwards my BO said that he had two saddles that I could try if I wanted. One was an old bull-dogging saddle and the other was an australian saddle. The bull-dogging saddle looked too old and "man-like" for my taste but I may give it a try just for the heck of it. The australian saddle on the other hand looked quite promising! So, I stuck it in the tack room and will try it out the next time I ride! Kind of exciting, not trying to get my hopes up but you never know, it could be the one!

Flag Fun and a Sunny Day

Thursday was a pretty good ride. My BO let me work the flag all on my own and although it was kind of difficult working the remote and controlling a green horse it ended up being fun. Ava even started to watch it! I know that Ava could be good at cutting, she could be good at almost anything! But I think I mainly just want her to be a trail horse and my friend. Ever since Wolfie passed relationships have become much more important to me. That includes Ava, I don't want to remember myself working her to death, I want to remember what a great bond we had and all the trail riding adventures we went on. That is also why I have been starting on Parelli (we are almost finished with Level 1!), they are known for creating a bond with your horse.

Anyways, the ride ended up being okay. The only thing was that the saddle pinched the inside of my calves so bad that I am now left with huge bruise marks. The way I can solve this is to wear different pants, my jeans kept riding up and revealed my skin which made it pinch me... That was annoying and on top of that there was a slight rub mark on Ava's back (I'm thinking the saddle may be a bit wide, so I'll add another pad to see if it helps).

The next day was much more chill. I took Ava to the outdoor arena (I had to walk all the way around because there were some cows blocking the way, such a long walk!) and started working on The Seven Games. She is basically a master at all of them but we still need to practice the figure-8 and a few other things as well. She did good and then after we were finished I walked her around the equipment barn and then down the driveway. On our way back I had her stand on the bridge, she was getting snorty because of some people doing yard work but in the end I got her to stop at a good point. It was gorgeous yesterday, I was basically sweating with my jacket on, I loved it!

Poco attack!

Picture, after it snowed again

That cute horsey in the middle is my girls pasture mate, Sugar.

Canterith with no Saddleith!

Despite all of the bad events that have happened lately today actually ended up being one of my favorite days out of this month. Let's begin shall we?

The sun was out today and the temperature ended up being around a whopping 40 degrees with almost no breeze, so warm! I took my littlest brother down to the barn with me but he only played his PSVITA in the car until the end. I went out to get Ava. I have been leaving her halter and lead at the gate lately so we can start connecting before the halter goes on (don't want to jinx it but she has also become easier to catch since I've done this). I then went out to the outdoor arena and practiced some Parelli. The Friendly Game, of course The Circling Game, Porcupine Game, Yo-Yo game and few other things. She was being very good and I stopped before things could get worse (we have all Summer for her to be naughty but for now I'd rather not deal with it). We then ventured inside and did a little more lunging just to make sure she didn't have any "fresh" in her left. I then tacked her up with our western saddle pad and bareback pad on top and then I got on. I felt so much more secure with the pads on her. We walked a little but then we moved up to trotting and then cantering! Today was the very first day ever cantering her bareback! It felt awesome, I almost cried, I was so happy. Also surprisingly, I felt more secure cantering bareback than in a saddle... Which is weird. Anyways, we cantered both ways and then we cooled off, I love riding bareback but I don't want to sore Ava's back. After this my brother, Ava, and I all went on a walk around the barn and down the long driveway towards the highway, Ava did so well. I think the walks really help her and I know she likes them too. It was a great day at the barn.

On our way home I stopped by the tack store to see if they had the dewormer I was looking for but before I could look at them I got mesmerized by the saddle consignment section. I looked for a bit but didn't notice anything that stood out until I was about to turn away I noticed a saddle at the end of a clothing rack. I looked at it and thought to myself "this is the one," even before I barely looked at it. It was a beautiful saddle and looked perfect for Ava and I. The only thing I was dreading was the price tag... I just knew that the world wouldn't let me get such a wonderful saddle at a price I could afford. I looked at the tag and the world surprised me, it was only $275! No, that is not a typo! My heart leaped. Also, not only do you get the saddle but you also get two very nice Australian saddle pads, a complete bridle set, an Australian girth, a nice halter and lead, as well as a breast collar! It almost sounds too good to be true right? That is what I keep thinking but so far this is no dream. I of course took it for a trial and will hopefully try it out tomorrow. I am so stoked and truly feel like this saddle is "the one," as silly as that may sound. Anyway, I will of course keep you lovely people updated and let you know as soon as possible how the saddle worked out.

Bare Ridin' and Walkin' in the Sun

As of Saturday I have told my self to either not ride or only do a very slight amount. Nowadays riding makes me too mentally tired (or so it seems). At night after a day of riding I would have much more trouble falling asleep, I become panicky and anxious. Now even the thing that I love most in the world is becoming difficult on me... The reason I brought this up is because this happened again after another day of riding, even after only a few minutes of it. Although, I definitely enjoyed myself, we rode bareback! Ava was really good for me and wish I could ride bareback forever. You can definitely tell Ava likes bareback over wearing a saddle and I don't mind one bit, it is so much more fun! We even worked our way up to a trot and even did some 360's, she was a real good girl.

Yesterday I went down to the barn not really knowing what I would do... Then when I arrived I saw that no one was there! I was stoked, I decided to take Ava to the outdoor arena for a bit. She didn't do much when I let her free so I put her halter on and we worked on The Friendly Game and a little bit of lunging, she did really good especially for being outside. After we were finished I grabbed my hat and walked her around a different part of the barn, at first she was a little dragony but actually she handled herself well, at the end she had her head low and her eyes were soft.

It is was so nice having the barn to myself! When I was about to pull out of the driveway I noticed far across the street there was a man jogging on some kind of road. I went to investigate. After I found where he was jogging I noticed that this would be a perfect trail riding or jogging spot for Ava and I! It was a nice dirt road (no concrete!) and it was pretty flat too. So I decided that this will be Ava and I's goal for the summer, to take a trail ride over there or even take Ava on a jog with me!

Back to Packed (Schedule that is..)

Sad, sad, sad... School started yesterday. I ended up changing classes at last minute and I am much happier with my choices, I am already liking them!

I worked a little with Ava today. Since no one was at the barn I told myself not to ride. I just lunged her for a bit. She did great, a little nervous but actually handled herself well (she is not quite used to no horses in the barn, so quiet!). Afterwards we did a wee bit of showmanship, flexing, and then I went to groom her and pick out her feet. My cooler should get here either Thursday or Friday, so excited! I then took her on a walk around the barn then let her get some dinner. I think the new horse that was put into their pasture is chasing Ava and/or Poco off their water, she has done this before but it was more severe, that is why my BO moved her in the beginning; I don't know why he moved her back with them... I am going to let him know the next time I see him, it is really agitating me. I also noticed that Ava has a bump (possibly a bruise) on the lower part of her nose, it was a little sensitive if touched but I put some Sore-No-More on it and hopefully that will help will the swelling. Other than that it was a decent day.

When I got home I discovered something. I discovered what I want to start Ava in! Dressage! I feel like it just clicked when it came to mind. Can't really go wrong with it either, it can lead you in many different directions. I think this will be perfect for us and gives us something to work on every single time we ride (we get bored sometimes). So this will be quite exciting, we can go to little shows and work our way up, just what we need.

Thorowgood T4 Dressage Saddle, around $700.

This was the saddle I was thinking of saving up for, much less expensive than a new roping saddle and it has a changeable gullet, Ava is an extra wide! Anyways, life has become busy again, well, busier than before. Can't complain though, I'd much rather be busy than bored!

Spring Training from America's Horse Daily

I am subscribed to America's Horse Daily and they sent me this great article about getting your horse physically and mentally ready for Spring riding. This may not be useful for most of you but there may be some green horses out there like Ava who need some help, so here you go, this is a paragraph (or a few) from the article.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Mike Kinsey in America’s Horse

There’s a whiff of spring in the air, the pasture is greening up, you’re having more short-sleeve than long-sleeve days, and judging by the amount of hair that’s coming off your horse, you’re a little nervous that he’ll be naked by June. Spring has sprung, and you’re itching to hit the trail.

Not so fast, buckaroo.

There’s a good chance that your pasture potato isn’t ready for a five-mile hike. It’s no different from the condition you’d be in if you sat in a La-Z-Boy from November to March, eating Nacho Doritos and watching “American Idol.”

The amount of work it takes to get a horse ready for trail ride season all depends on the age of the horse, whether the horse has been in a stall and is overly fat or whether he has been in a pasture and is in a little better condition.

Read the rest of the article here: [click this]