Wordless Wednesday

Rode into the New Year

We just had our first ride of the year yesterday! And my little brother was kind enough to snap some photos of us riding.

Ava performed really well besides a few slight spooks at some invisible monsters. One of our biggest things that we need to work on is building muscle, have her learn to balance herself better, and get her to move with more impulsion- she can be a lazy bum sometimes. Fixing my chair seat on the other hand with be a whole different story, I feel like I'm in the correct position but then looking at these photos (especially at the canter) I can see my leg is way too forward. It may be the saddle that could be pushing my leg into an awkward position but mostly it must be myself that needs to work on a better seat.

There is always something to work on. I love it!

Ava Dear! Ready for Long Distances?

Today and this past week I have been doing my best to take Ava out on a mini trail ride every time I visit. The weather this time of year has been amazing, we barely have any snow! So I am trying to take advantage of that. It is quite obvious when we go out on a ride that Ava gets a little nervous, holds her head high, and will be quick as a Standardbred, but she barely spooks. She will keep up a quick trot but will rarely shy at anything. That I can deal with- quickness is okay but spooking is a big no-no. Especially at this time of year too she is usually somewhat of a basket case but this year she is much more together. This takes me to another related topic. I want to slowly condition Ava for long rides, maybe up to 25 miles! She loves to move (most of the time) and loves being in the great outdoors. So nothing would be better than to train her for long distances. It will be exciting to get it going.

It's hard to realize that 2014 aka Year of the Horse is literally right around the corner. I need to get a resolution post up quickly! 

What Do You Wear In Winter Tag!

I've seen people do tags on YouTube and thought I'd try and start one in the horsey blog world. I would love to see what everyone wears to the barn in Winter or chilly days (for those of you who live in Florida and whatnot!). Super random but thought it would be a super easy one to do. This is my outfit that I wear when it is as cold as it can be, the ultimate warmth outfit.

If you want to participate in the tag just post a link to this post on yours, then comment saying you made a post about it and I will make a list on here to see who is participating!

Me posing with one of my dogs, Lulu

I'm wearing:

-brown wool sweater from Columbia

-black hooded Carhartt vest (just got it and love it!)

-hunter green Carhartt jacket (literally one of the warmest things I've ever worn!)

-homemade blue knit hat

-black breeches (not shown)

-black Marker snow pants (got these from the thrift store, perfect for riding)

-fleece gloves (I need new ones badly!)

-Ariat boots but I usually wear snow boots or my other Justin boots if I'm riding.

Participants!!

Saiph over at Wait for the Jump

Allison over at Adventures with Shyloh

Karen at Thee Ashke

Liz at In Omnia Paratus

Jessica at Save The Bullet