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| Shakervillage, June 2015 |
Well, hum now, where do I start? This summer has been one of the best, most infuriating, stressful, and enjoyable I can remember, and yes, I know that makes almost no sense, but it will! I promise! Oz came back from Wallace Hill Farm "fit camp" in the best mental and physical shape of his life. I owe Amy more than I could ever repay, she made me a rock star out of a tub of lard, and I much prefer "our" rock star. Sixty days with Amy and I feel like Oz is a brand new animal. Brave, healthy, and strong, he is a powerhouse of a horse; and you know what is the most exciting part of his transformation is? For the very first time in our lives together, I feel like I can keep up with him. I can ride my horse. I can do this. We can achieve this dream together. This is my life horse. The fear is gone. The uncontrollable, all encompassing, life destroying fear of my best friend is all but a thing of the past.
We are a team, and it feels like a million bucks.
(Booya!)
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| Shakervillage, July 2015 |
Other than our personal growth however, this summer has been an experience. A new and first job, brought with it many personal changes. I had to buy an iron, for one thing, and I had to learn how to use the darn thing, which was a travesty and my mother was ashamed of me. I had a terrible experience boarding Oz and Poplar in a situation which I should never have been so naive to think would actually work out, which resulted in an emergency relocation and a few weeks off for Oz who had lost at least 100 lbs in less than a week due to stress. Yea, that was not my smartest decision, but it was a definite learning experience which resulted in me now boarding with a fellow Green Bean endurance wanna-be! Turned that frown upside down really quickly!
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| He Pony and She Pony |
Poplar also went off to obedience school, much to my chagrin, as I had planned on (and wanted to) finish breaking her out myself, but with the new job and the unending rain, I just hadn't accomplished anything with her other than bonding in two months of ownership. Additionally I was extremely tired of being nipped by the ignorant little... So off she went to a highly suggested trainer who was eternally patient with me as I waited to dig my trailer out of the mud for two weeks! Phew! She will be back on August 15th and I am excited to start working with her for real this time. She already comes flying when I whistle, and I don't even own a treat bucket. She's the diva in my days and I adore her for it.
I also spent my first paycheck on Cloud stirrups, and you will have to pull them from my cold dead fingers, because they are the miracle they are advertised as. No knee pain, no ankle pain, and feeling like a bomb would have to go off to unseat you. They are super cool, no other way to describe them.
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| Tired pony, new stirrups! |
We did have one tiny upset this weekend, as I took Oz to Shakervillage and we did a very hot and humid fast four miles. We kept a moderate trot up when possible and walked about half of the time. I let him out for a quarter of a mile gallop, and then jumped off and ended up walking the quarter mile back to the trailer as he was puffing like a billows. I felt terrible, we are like two kids.
Oz: "Hey mom, lets boogie!?"
Me: "No. Way too hot, dude."
Oz: " Mah, quit being a weenie. I was such a good boy, remember that picnic table I didn't spook at?"
Me: "Actually you did."
Oz: "Yea, only for a second...."
Me: "It did take you ten minutes to stop puffing when we cantered up that last hill..."
Oz: "Not really....can I go fast?"
Me: "Nononononono, yes, WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
I need to keep an eye on him because he is not going to be the type of horse to pace himself. He is so gung-ho and willing, I really need to learn to pace him and myself. He did dive right into his hay when we finally got back to the trailer and I hosed him down, and took a few sips of water, but we ended up cutting the ride short because the time it took him to cool down made me uncomfortable with continuing. We will get there, and I need to keep reminding myself that we are in no rush and have many seasons to go before we will truly have our own endurance.
