Friesian/Morgan Pictures

For FHOTDer's... here are more pictures of the grullo mare that was posted in the "Circus is in town" post from Fugly.

Sorry for the double pic.... I really am afraid she inherited a Friesian head on a Morgan body. I really want to find a home for her, so suggestions and help would be welcomed.

Gotta Love Lightning...

... because I'm blaming it for my silence the past 10 days. One's heart knows no brief failure resulting from a startle like that of a bolt of lightning hitting the house 10 feet away from you. I will admit that while I still enjoy thunderstorms, I'm still cringing a little each time there's a lightning flash. Several appliances were fried, including my computer power cord (and VERY thankfully not my computer!), and now, at last and finally, I have a new cord and my laptop back.

Much has happened, not all of it according to plan because life interfered. In my worthwhile experiences, I watched a dressage show that was both embarrassing and enlightening (an essay about trainers letting riders who are NOT ready to show in the ring is to come soon), but I walked away with great pictures and some new friends, both human and equine.

I jumped again, and it was lovely, happy and quiet, and I'm content with that. I've ridden David the Friesian a few times more and he keeps proving to me that a seasoned dressage rider I am not, but I've come to truly enjoy it and I plan to pursue riding dressage more seriously since I feel my time riding and competing over fences is coming to a close.

And the side of life that was disappointing in a way... I am back in Indiana, far earlier than planned. Due to an unexpected financial loss for my boss and her husband, they couldn't afford to keep me as an employee past July 5th. So now, I'm posting from my old bedroom in Indianapolis, having arrived here yesterday morning on an early flight from Atlanta. While I was welcomed to stay in Atlanta for the rest of the summer, I couldn't justify being there without earning a paycheck, sadly. Now I'm pursuing temporary jobs in Indy and I am glad to be back with my family and boyfriend. I was away for 7 weeks, and even though it was a tough separation, all the experiences I had and the friends and connections I made in the South were completely worth the frustration.

I'm not planning to post a blog any longer, since Jenn is no longer in "Jeorgia" and has returned to what feels like a very ordinary lifestyle for her. For all my school friends, you can always check out the albums and updates on my Facebook, and for other friends who have cheered me on... well, you have my phone number :)

Thank you for your kind patience in reading through my horsey times, even though my terminology may have been a bit thick for the non-riders. Godspeed!

~Jenn

Jacquelyn of All Trades

J.A.T... that needs to be my new nickname.

I am a zookeeper. I've been keeping an eye on a nest full of five baby sparrows, but thankfully none have fallen out yet. I have a barn full of twelve horses, and thankfully, none of THEM either are out... yet. And now, I have a baby blue bird sitting on my bed in a brand new critter keeper.

My boss walked into the barn earlier. "Hey Jenn... remember how you said you've rescued birds before?"

Ho boy. I laughed and grabbed up a towel. I'm guessing this bird is at least 10 days old and got too adventurous for his nest. Even though I replaced him twice, little Suicide hopped right back out the other side, only to fall on his beak. He's not too sure about the mealworms yet, so we'll be trying a little cat food soon.

I am also a stall scrubber. Think about what horses can do against a stall wall that leaves stains... yeah, no more on that.

I am she-who-rigs-pliers-on-a-rope, and girl-who-finds-lost-gallon-of-bleach.

Yife, what a day. We're supposed to get a lot of rain soon (Thank you, God!). We need it so very badly; the pastures are starting to get crunchy.

Catching Up...

Lots of information in this post, so here's an apology in advance.

Last Friday, I got the chance to go watch the USHJA International Hunter Derby at Georgia International Hunter Park. This is where the equestrian teams for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics rode and competed. Pictures are posted above. The Derby was made to replicate what a hunter horse would encounter in the field; water, fences, gates, etc. The jumps were 3'6" to 4' tall, and there was a $25,000 purse at stake for the winner.

I've been schooling the ponies a lot lately, and the trainers know that I'm more than happy to come have a "chat" with them should they be misbehaving for the smaller children. Penfield decided to start slinging his head around and scaring the very tiny girl on him, so I (a not so tiny girl) hopped on and rode him out. I made the trainer promise me I'd never have to ride that tiny saddle ever again if possible :)

The property was unexpectedly left in my sole care for a few days as my boss and her husband had to take care of life events, so I had an unusual experience with a quiet barn and all the horses buddying up to me. They know that I'm the gravy train now, and the horses in the paddock right by my house greet me with neighs when I walk out in the morning to feed. Yeah, I see where your hearts are... I'm free to ride pretty much who I want and when I want; it's a freedom I'm not used to and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Tuesday turned into a day of exploration for me. I've ridden David a few times, but only at the walk and trot since I'm still working on steering him properly. I watch his owner ride him a lot, and after schooling a dressage test, she came up to me and told me it was my turn. Well aware that I'd never ridden as advanced a test before, nor even cantered or asked much of this horse before, I gave it a whirl. David is a lot of horse to hold together and "package". Being a dressage horse, I have much more control of his shoulders and hind end than I do on a jumper. I have to constantly control his shoulders and forward motion, flex his neck, steer, encourage forward, cue, etc. That's a lot to keep track of. Considering what I had against me, I rode the test pretty well once I figured out the geometry of the ring. David's canter is AMAZING; long, deep and smooth. It's so easy to sit pretty on him.

I've become good friends with David's owner, and we've down many activities together on my days off since we share similar interests in the shops and area history. After riding David, this lady gave me some news that is definitely very exciting. I can't give many details now since it's still in the works, but what I can say (tentatively at the moment) that I may be getting a very nice mare from her within the next year or so. Hopefully more news to come.

I've also learned that bathing a draft horse is a very refreshing experience. Yesterday was particularly miserable in the weather; it was one of those days where you feel slimy from the humidity and poor air quality. I went to rinse off Sadie, an old and retired Percheron mare who spends her days in the field. She loves her baths, and I found that holding the hose high over her (she's a big girl) let it mist on me. I ended up sitting under her and letting the water drip on me, and Sadie took a nap.

Trivia for the day: Did you know that hell hath no speed or intensity like that of two miniature donkeys who think you have food? I've faced down big and angry horses before without flinching, but for some reason, those gray fuzzballs aimed at my kneecaps made me shake...

I've also figured out that I am highly capable of A) catching a pony, holding onto it, catching another pony, holding onto those two, and catching the third B) sorting donkeys out from said ponies C) KEEPING said donkeys out from around said ponies D) and navigating 3 ponies out a gate, turning them around, closing the gate and keeping the donkeys in the field without letting the ponies eat a blade of grass... Phew. It was quite fun, nonetheless, walking up past the barn with a three-pony escort. It got a few smiles from onlookers.

I'm going to a dressage show tomorrow, with pictures to come. Later!

In This Episode of As the Barn Turns...

• Reggie discovers girls... one girl, in particular, and also pulls a bungee cord one too many times...
• Rosie returns to the "wild"...
• Jenn encounters medicine of the slung-from-a-horse-mouth-at-high-speed kind...
• Red the horse and Paco the dog have an intent heart to heart, and face to face...

Hehe, okay... the bungee cord one definitely deserves an explanation. Reggie, being the trickster he is, loves to try to escape his stall. Therefore, he has a bolt latch, a chain and two bungee cords on the bolt latch to slow him down a little. Throughout the course of the day, he manages to peel the various devices from the door, which are replaced (by me).

Well... Reggie got snapped in the nose by a bungee cord. I was actually happy to hear my boss say that Reggie had a bloody nose; I knew what it was from instantly. Sure enough, there was a loose bungee cord with a little piece of horse-nose flesh on it, and Reggie was in the corner of his stall pouting. After this, I led him out into the aisle to brush him. He glanced across the aisle to another stall, and there was...

**ROSIE!** (cue the butterflies and music) His head and ears snapped up and forward instantly, and he started dancing in the aisle, Heeeeeey cutie! Well, fate happened to put the two of them in adjoining paddocks for the night, and the lovebirds were last seen kissing through the fence (and very carefully avoiding the hot tape...) Much to Reggie's disappointment, Rosie's medicating period had ended, and therefore, she rejoined her buddies in the back pasture. But I'm sure they will see each other once in a while...

The high speed medicine requires no explanation.

And Paco got lively today and decided to go horse chasing. Red thought that was a lovely idea (NOT!) and promptly escorted the dog under the fence (at very high speed).

Oh, the animals...

Deja Vu

The barn has become more "mine" the past week as a routine has developed. Several horses decided to either get sick, hurt or lame recently, and now the feeding routine has what feels like a thousand new medications. Taking a day off is almost more work than not, with having to explain all the meds.

"Rosie gets these two eye ointments four times a day, starting with the morning feeding, then at lunch, then midafternoon, then the evening feeding. Tyrone's Robaxin got upped to 20 tablets twice a day, but you have to mix it like this to make sure the syringe plunger can get it all out. Then, Aries is still on bute, but down to one gram. Sadie gets the bute too, but three grams (I stick it in her mouth when she goes for her food). After all that, Aries needs to be handwalked for twenty minutes, but only in the indoor ring..."

Yeah. After handling those developments over the course of a day, I feel a whole lot more confident handling a barn and the fluctuating habits of the four-hooved individuals within. But, I can't get that confused with arrogance.

After I'd been here a few days, had the barn to myself and was riding horses for my boss, I found myself chatting with one of the trainers, who was keeping a watchful eye on a small student of hers as she tacked up a pony for her lesson. I knew I needed to ride Tyrone, so I asked the trainer if it'd be a problem if I rode during her lesson. She asked who I was riding and I smiled and replied, "Mr. T here."

Behind the trainer, the girl whirled her head around to stare at me, her eyes big. I smiled back at her, wondering what that had been about. Then I had a little bit of a flashback, or deja vu, if you will, that settled in when I was first riding and in awe of those who got to ride the good horses... the fancy jumpers, the owners horses, etc. I'd been there, and now I stood (and rode) where I'd seen those other girls. And now, that little student was where I had been.

Now for the not becoming arrogant part... I knew that Tyrone and my boss were a great combination. I also knew that they had done some serious showing and won a lot. But I had not known... that she and Tyrone were National Hunter Champions a few years ago. It was mentioned to me casually, and my heart kinda hit my stomach, but in a good way. I've been riding a National Hunter Champion horse for the past three weeks, and they're not rides I've had to beg.

"Tyrone needs to be exercised, and you have really good soft hands, so how about flatting him twice a week or so?"

While this new info doesn't change my role around here, it's certainly a compliment that humbles and makes me thank God twice more whenever I get on Tyrone.

On a lighter note, we harassed Reggie in his paddock with the remote control car. Next time, I promise we will have the video camera.

Main Question of the Day...

How many poor decisions must Reggie make before getting a clue?

Too many, would be my answer at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I really like Reggie overall, but he has "personal space" issues when someone comes in his stall. He thought he had me pegged when I was picking out his stall; I turned with a forkfull of horsey "presents" and he took the opportunity to bite my rear. Fortunately for me, full hands does not equal no punishment. He got a foot in the ribs and a roar, and he meekly retreated to a corner to pout through the surprised look on his face. She grew another arm instantly...? This horse is also starting to understand my very silent and very serious communication... The Look. He also gets now that if he receives The Look along with Crossed Arms, he'd better shut up before he ends up as a bedspread, fringe and all.

Also, the night before, Reggie decided that he thought I hadn't put enough hay in his stall and snaked his (not so little) head over his window at me, ears pinned and teeth bared. It was almost 10 PM, and I was in NO moon to tolerate his face making. I whirled around, waving my arms and yelled "Booga booga booga!" He snatched himself back so fast he smacked himself in the back of the head on the window frame, then bounced his nose around a couple times trying to turn around before his head had fully withdrawn... silly pony.

To sum up my past couple of days, see this little prayer of the Barngirl.

Dear Lord,

Thank you that Rosie's eye hasn't gotten infected yet, and that she's being good about having me stick ointment in it four times a day. Thank you that Aries didn't carry me more than ten feet when he decided that whirling around and trotting off was a good idea while I was wrapped around his head giving him medicine. Thank you that we found David's shoe, and please help us to find Red's shoe. Thank you that Tyrone only got one mouthful of medicine dribbled on my baseball cap before I noticed. Thank you that only four bales of hay fell on me. Thank you that the big arthritic draft mare didn't catch me up when she stumbled and tripped on the hill. Thank you that the vet was only an hour late, and that we could find a second farrier quickly so a student could actually have her lesson tonight. Thank you that one of our trainers didn't need stitches, and that we've only had four storms so far this week. Please don't let the coffee grinder spit Robaxin tablet pieces on me ever again; it tastes bad, and tell the barn cat that dead mice do not belong in the sink in the tack room.

Thank you that I'm still in one piece, and managing triage in an invalid yard of horses makes me happy, because that's how horses go and I have to convince myself that I like giving medicine four times a day for thirty days.

Funnies, New Toys and Poor Decisions

Dear audience, the past few days have passed with a good amount of humor. Allow me to share...

• I rode David again, and this time, his owner made me put the stirrups down to dressage length, which is almost standing length, as opposed to the higher-kneed heels down hunter/jumper position, so my ride instantly felt different, but I managed to pick up the steering faster this time and didn't put the poor horse into any fences this time. Then I was asked to trot him, so I did and then Holy cow! My stirrups disappeared! I'm so unused to having to literally stand and reach down for my stirrups that they were flapping around loose and I was posting completely off my thighs, who did have a few things to say about that particular exercise. However, I was told I had a very good position overall, and that I'll get used to the stirrup length eventually... After that, we went to watch a very good dressage instructor and trainer ride this phantabulously beaurgous mare, who moved like a ballerina. Pictures to come...
• I also am still riding Tyrone, and happily enjoying riding a made horse. On Friday, to fit in his ride time, I rode with another lesson going on in the ring, and the instructor had laid down poles on the ground for an exercise, so Tyrone and I also used the poles to practice strides and such. All the time, lazy Tyrone thunked his hooves over the poles, completely bored when he's used to jumping 3 feet. A little while later, the poles were moved, and I askd Tyrone to canter around while I got into my two-point (jumping) position to stretch and let him move forward. We came up to where the poles had been, and Tyrone's ears suddenly perked up and his body bunched and came forward. I thought This horse thinks he's going to a jump! What gives? I then realized that he had zeroed in on the depression in the sand where the pole had been, and he jumped it! The trainer got a laugh out of it. Seriously, Tyrone... you thump hooves over poles, then jump the depression in the sand... really? Apparently.... yeah, really.
• One of the ponies being used in a lesson dumped his rider and decided that was a good time to start tearing around the ring, bumping into other horses and generally creating havoc. He proceeded to evade capture and raced around, kicking his heels and saying Look at meeee! I'm Spirit, wild stallion! Sorry to tell you, Penfield, but you're a gelding...
• Reggie is the baby of the bunch here; a handsome 2 y/o Hanoverian gelding who is very curious and playful. He has to have a gajillion locks, clasps and other instruments of enclosure on his stall doors, or he will get out and find something to play with. Well, he became quite fascinated watching a remote control car being directed by a sibling of one of the lesson kids. Reggie bobbed his head, snorted, turned in his stall, watched the car, tried to lunge out after it, turned and snorted again. The horse was ready to go out the window after the car. We told the boy to bring the car over to his stall. The "Raminator" truck proceeded to zoom at Reggie, who took it as a full frontal attack and threw a spaz in his tall, still bobbing his head and snorting and growling at the car. The truck retreated, and again Reggied tried to follow it out the window. At this point, my bosses husband and I are rolling in the aisle with laughter, and are already making plans that involve Reggie, a remote control car, a paddock and a video camera...

So I found myself quite filthy yesterday after scrubbing out water troughs, and I glittered with the Georgia red dirt, and now have the next hottest toy doll to hit the market in mind...

It's Barn Diva Barbie! This new and restructured doll is NOT your typical runway Barbie... no, this little lady has a tan and thighs of steel instead of a chest! She comes complete with work jeans and permanent helmet hair! Want to really spice her up? Take out the roll-on applicator and give her some smears of terra cotta! To complete the look, shake a little glitter on her to make her sparkle and shine as Barn Diva Barbie wows the entire stable with her feeding regime and colt-corraling prowess! As a final touch, dip her paddock boots in warm water, and watch them turn from black to the same terra cotta red! Wow, this girl has really been through the barn!

... okay, maybe not such a hit, but it's rather hilarious from my point of view. Most of that is pretty true, especially the colt-corraling part... Reggie hasn't learned to share his stall space with people very well yet, and you can imagine how well that went over with me when he tried to shoulder me out of his stall the other day. He picked a bad moment; I had a manure fork in my hands. A lesson student swore she ran into the barn because she heard someone roaring and instead found Reggie thinking very carefully about edging towards me and eyeing the fork :)

Sincerely, Jenn, the barn girl waiting for the next horse to make a poor decision...

Boys in Black

Summary of the weekend thusfar:

• I've continued to ride Tyrone and enjoy him, even though he can be quite lazy :)
• I finally got a ride on David, the Friesian. I had to completely relearn steering and leg aids for him since he's a dressage horse, so after about 10 minutes of running into a fence and turning him the wrong way, I got it sorted out, his owner smiled and told me to have fun and went to go clean a saddle. Needless to say, that was a compliment. His owner told me later that I did well, and she wants me to ride him more for my benefit. Yay!
• Along with that last point, David's owner has offered to take me to see the dressage trainer she sees a few times a month. She named him, and my eyes got big; I recognized the name. He's the only 4th Level dressage trainer in the southeast, and I've heard about him, so I'm very excited to go watch him teach. She's also teaching me how to body clip a horse.
• For a moment of humor... one of the ponies this evening tried to jump me while I carried his feed out to his pan for dinner. You can imagine how that well that went over with me. He came at me teeth bared and ears pinned; it was a funny sight, considering how his ears come to about my head. Well, there was nothing between him and the feed, save my fragile little hand *snort, giggle*, so I emptied the ammo in my other hand; a feed bucket. The plastic warped around his head and ears, then bounced off his neck and hit his rear. Double whammy! That little idiot jumped away, snorting with his eyes wide and white. You can bet he waited VERY politely for me to take my time pouring his feed into his pan and calmly walking away. He knows better than to pull that kind of behavior with ANYONE, especially since little kids are the one that do a lot of his handling. So, Penfield saw the end of the world for about five seconds.

To defend that kind of reaction... watch an alpha mare correct a youngster in a herd someday. There is no polite "Oh, you didn't mean to run into me...". That mare's reaction is swing around, teeth bared with a BAD-IDEA-GET-AWAY-RIGHT-NOW look on her face. That's how horse hierarchies work, so that's how it works when I step into a field of horses. When I'm not there, they can sort out their pecking order. But when I come into the field, stall or whatever, authority shifts to me by default. So, the offender sees the sky fall for a very short period of time, lesson learned (hopefully).

That's all for now.

A Good Feeling Returned

I have to confess that, not surprisingly, I've been quite anxious each time I've gotten on a horse in the past year. That tight nervous feeling that creeps up the back of my throat when I see the saddle before me, waiting for me to sit down and pick up my stirrups. I hate that particular feeling and have come to ignore it for the most part when I've ridden recently.

Today, I rode my bosses "baby" again, a big black and well trained gelding named Tyrone. My boss was absent, so I was on my own in caring for and riding him properly. I had to be especially careful with him because of coffin bone and foot problems, so I can't turn him tightly, etc. I got on him and started loosening up when a funny sensation hit me over the head. The entire ride, I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't a physical sensation, but it spoke to me like one.

Tyrone and I flatted for about 25 minutes, walking, trotting, cantering. Since he's so well trained, I can take the opportunity to not worry about what he's doing and focus instead on my riding, making sure my heels are stretched down, I'm sitting tall, being clear with my aids and so forth. Some siblings of a lesson student wandered over to watch, and T and I paused to say hi and chat for a moment. I found myself smiling and answering questions about Tyrone, and then we went on our way to finish his exercise.

On our last canter lap, I let him stretch down and extend his canter, and I stood up into my jumping position to stretch my legs and heels down. I pulled my shoulders up and smiled. Then it hit me; that odd sensation wasn't a presence of a feeling, but an absence. I hadn't tightened up and or been anxious once, and this sensation was the confidence I'd felt years ago when I happily hopped on stubborn horses to jump them without a second thought.

I think it pretty much goes without saying that I'm relieved to have that confidence coming back. I'm fortunate to have been given the chance to ride Tyrone, since my boss is very cautious with him since he's such a fantastic horse. I'm looking forward to more rides with him where I can relax and focus on what I'm doing instead of worrying about what the horse will do.

Pictures

Here are some posted pictures, some of me, some of other riders and horses.

Weekend

Sorry that this post took a while; it's been a busy weekend.

On Saturday, we went to a local schooling show, and I showed the pinto mare in Hunter Eq, managed to come away with a couple ribbons. It went well considering I'd ridden the horse once before and I was a bit rusty. On the fly, I hopped on another pony to show in a flat class and managed a 3rd place.

Sunday evening, we spent time with the owners of the Friesian; I think they'll be great friends, and I've already been offered a ride on the gelding, who happens to be a son of a stallion that I've heard of. Then today, I got to ride my bosses "baby" since he'll be needing exercising throughout the week; he's a very well-trained horse, "made" as we call it. I could steer him just by looking, and he'll help me to lighten my leg aids well since I'm used to riding horses with dead sides.

Possibly more later.

Day the First, Part the Second

When we last saw our heroine, she was facing a very great conflict in her head about jumping a horse she'd never ridden before.

Er... make that a pony. She's a little brown and white pinto and looked pretty unassuming and simple, and overall behaved except for sometimes drifting towards gates if her rider doesn't pay attention. My boss also told me (AFTER I was on the pony warming her up) that she likes to take long distances to jumps if it works out.

Oh GREAT! A too long distance to the jump is what threw me off over a jump like a lawn dart last year (for the nonhorsey readers... seeing a "distance" is being able to find an appropriate takeoff spot before a jump and make your horse get there). But, I reminded myself of my promise to kick my fear in the teeth this summer and went on with my head high.

Riding a pony when you're more used to a large, lanky and lumbering warmblood is quite a culture shock, but I adjusted well, felt fairly secure in the saddle. This pony liked to motorcycle around corners a little at her little jackhammer canter, but that only required staying up tall, balanced and opening a little outside rein to keep her where I needed her to be.

Then came the jumps. *dum dum DUM*

It was an eensy weensy itty bitty (no yellow polka dot bikini here) crossrail. This pony would most likely trot it. I first trotted to it and just glued my eyes on the far wall, ignoring that there was a "jump" as much as appropriate. We hopped over, I remembered how to release and that was that.

Cool! Then I had to canter it. Six months ago, I would have begged to just trot the jumps for today, but with a schooling show looming tomorrow, I just nodded, picked up a lead, sat up tall and went for it. And darn it, my boss had gotten sneaky and moved it up to a vertical.

She took the long distance. Anytime in the past year, it would have completely wigged me out (my fall was on a similar height brown pinto pony too), but I could tell when she was going to leave the ground, and I was able to read that from her. I got my heart back under control, and did it again, sat up taller this time and we nailed the perfect pony distance. Then we switched directions, with the same result. All I had to do was make sure I wasn't hanging onto her face, sit up and keep her quiet to the jump, and she would tell me precisely when and how far we were going when we got there.

I was feeling a tad more relaxed at this point, but I could tell by looking at my boss that I was far from done. She told me to take a line (two jumps with five or six strides between them) and just take them the exact same way. The only difference was that I needed to get organized with myself and the horse between them. I will not deny that my heart picked up a little, but I still bashed my inner self over the head with my promise. We took the line, no muss, no fuss. I landed a tad sloppy over the first jump and it took me a couple strides to get ourselves together, but we got through it without slinging around like orangutans. Then we switched directions and took a slightly bigger line on the other side of the ring-

OH, the ring! This outdoor covered ring is fantastically beautiful in a subtle and elegant way. At the far end of the ring and down both sides, the way the hills are situated around it have you looking DOWN from the ring, right out at treetops bordering the pastures surrounding it. It's a breathtaking view and made me feel very elite for some reason.

Okay, back to the regular program. So we got through the second line, and this time it only took me one stride to get organized and my boss said we were dead on almost instantly, so that was encouraging. I was starting to get the feel for how this mare worked in terms of keeping her forward enough to get us somewhere, but also keeping her quiet and organized. Then my boss said "Let's do a course!"

My heart hit the saddle, but I just nodded, thinking she'd use just the jumps we'd done. She set us up to take one line, circle and switch directions, take our first vertical, circle, take the second line, then ride around the far end and finish off with the big wide gray box covered in flowers.

WHAT??!! It was only a 2' jump, but it looked enormous to me. It was wide, it was solid, it was colorful, it was a new jump, it was...
It was part of my course. I took a deep breath and off we went. Halfway through, I was feeling great; the mare and I were either nailing our distances, or she was clear enough to tell me when she was leaving the ground that I could stick with her and make it look pretty still. But there was still that wall to get over...

Some may think me a coward for getting worked up over a relatively little jump, but it was a big deal to me. Here I was, on a brown pinto pony very similar to the one that had shaken me loose, on a similar summer day, headed straight for a VERY similar jump that had started this whole thing in the first place! I got the more pointed at it, sat up tall and drove for it, but I could barely draw in air through my closing throat. I breathed as deeply and calmly as I could, remembered "tea" (my boyfriend will get it). The mare leaped over with all her heart, and I can guarantee that my smile has rarely been bigger than it was by the time we landed.

Both my boss and her husband broke out cheering and clapping, and I was shaking with relief and joy as I brought the mare down to a walk and hugged her, so grateful for her pluck. I'd had trepidations about this first lesson; I haven't ridden intensively in quite some time, this was an unfamiliar horse, with an unfamiliar instructore, and unfamiliar jumps and surroundings. Good grief, I hadn't been over anything bigger than a trot pole in almost ten months!

So needless to say, I feel very good right now, and ready for tomorrow's show. Even though it's a very casual and laid back affair, I'll probably stick to doing an 18" jump course (the rule of thumb is usually show one notch under what you're training at). The day went smoothly, I'm getting along with both my boss and her husband (who is quite a character and micromanager, but I think we've struck an understanding that I want to do well, and he's very kind about corrections), and I'm ready to see what tomorrow holds. Hopefully, it'll go just as well (heck, I'll even take half as well) as it did today :)


~J

Day the First

The author would like to state before really getting into the material that she is a very tired puppy.

I'm not quite sure where to start on describing this place. It definitely "feels" like the south from what I remember of my trips through the Carolina's and Virginia. The air hangs heavier, the bird songs are different, the trees are big and very green and lush, the oaks are thick and twisted. I'm loving all the hills here; most of the pastures on the farm are built on some kind of slope. The horses have to be careful when they lie down to roll; otherwise, they might turn a few more times than they want!

The particular stable I'm residing at is quite lovely. This house partially very old, from the 1840's, I believe. That's pre-Civil War! (Or the War of Northern Aggression, as it's understood in some parts here). There are a lot of turning hallways because the original house was added onto bit by piece to reach another structure, so one pretty much has to walk east to go north through the house. I have the front room that looks right onto the porch, and after a few years in the dorm, it feels like an enormous room. The windows are narrow, but quite tall, and the place has a very plantation feel to it.

Okay, on to the important part... the HORSES! These critters are going to be a dream to handle compared to some of the beasts-on-wheels that I've encountered. The worst here is a tall and handsome 3 y/0 chestnut (not to be confused with the OTHER tall hand chestnut) who likes to dance a little on his way to the paddock because he knows he's going to play. The barns are simple and a little worn around the edges, but the couple who run the place keep it very neat and organized, so it's pretty and charming since you can tell there's some history to it. There are 12 horses total here, and I discovered that one of them (much to my delight) is a tall, very dark and very handsome Friesian gelding named David. For those of you who aren't so familiar with me, Friesians are my absolute favorite, and I take any chance to just get a glimpse of them even. His owner, one of the two boarders, is a very nice lady, so I may get a chance to ride him sometime...

Speaking of riding, my boss's husband didn't waste any time getting me busy besides just managing the barn. When I arrived, he looked me up and down and asked if I'd been riding much lately. I replied that I had been riding a bit, and the rest of the conversation went something like this:

Him: "Well, we have a couple ponies that need schooled and ridden in a little schooling show here soon. Think you could get ready to do at least one of them? The mare can be a bit tricky..."
Me: "Sure. I love ponies. Give me a week and we'll be as good as gold."
Him: "Well, you don't have a week."
Me: "How long do I have?"
Him: "The show is Saturday." (This is stated to me Thursday evening)
Me: "Well, okay."
Him: "And the mare needs to jump."
(At this point, I'm internally wigging out. After a bad fall over a jump last year, I've been terrified to jump anything over tiny crossrails)
Me: "Jump how high?"
Him: "About 2'."
Me: *mentally yelling DEATHDEATHDEATH* "Sure, I'm game."

I'll be getting on the mare in the next few hours. We're not anticipating problems; she's a cute little rockstar, but needs a slight attitude adjustment over jumps. My boss understands where I'm coming from on the jumping thing, so we'll work on this afternoon, and off I go tomorrow if it progresses decently. "Okay Jenn, you have an afternoon ride to get over the lack of confidence that's been haunting you for a year!" Ooooookay.

I knew this would possibly happen (me jumping, just not this soon!) so I promised myself that this summer would not be one of fear for me. At least... external fear. I have to get over this, so I told myself that I would do it, no ifs, ands or buts. I don't doubt that part of my brain might call me some unsavory words for this mentality, but I believe it'll be good for me.

So far, I really enjoy being here. It'll take me a few days to settle into the routine and peculiarities of the place and the horses. My day began at 7 this morning with breakfast, then feeding horses, cleaning stalls, turning out the horses, then I began the oh-so-fun-but-doesn't-need-to-be-done-all-the-time task of cleaning the algae out of all the paddock water troughs. One horse showed his playful colors by trying to shove me into one as I bent over to scrub the bottom of it. Eight water troughs later, it was noon, and I got invited down to the (completely GORGEOUS and comfy) covered ring to watch my boss school a horse. Then they insisted I go eat, so I obliged them and now I'm relaxing a little until my ride time with April. Then I imagine we'll bring in the horses, feed and water them, and wrap up the day. I'm sitting here and keep glancing out the window to make sure it hasn't started raining; there are at least 2 horses that would have to come in if it rains because of their soft feet issues.

I'll try to have pictures later; the trees and pastures here are unbelievable.

The day J purposely misspelled something...

So this font is apparently called Georgia... rather ironic.

Yeah yeah yeah... I know there's no "j" at the beginning of Georgia, as the title of the blog might indicate, but I was going for cute points there, so bear with me.

If you're unfamiliar with my (VERY QUICKLYYYYYYY) approaching summer plans, allow me to briefly recap. I intend to keep some semblance of anonymity here, so if you want a writing address and stuff, comment and I'll email you or something more private like that.

OKAY! So, you've probably figured out by now that Georgia has something to do with my summer (or should that be the other way around...?) Anyways, I've been hired as a barn manager for a hunter/jumper show and lesson barn near Atlanta. If you want the full story as to how I managed that, remind me in a comment and I'll do a blog post about it sometime... maybe. I will be at this barn all summer, until early August, when I must return to my hometown in Indiana and start my student teaching (more excitement!). Many of you know that I fully intend to run my own barn someday, so I'm very hopeful for this summer as a chance for me to acquire a business role model, great horse people connections and relationships, and also a time to expand the skills I currently have.

I will TRYTRYTRY to have as many pictures as possible for the visually curious. Since I'm the one doing a lot of the work and riding, I may not always be able to have another body around to snap some for me, so please be patient with me on that front. I'm hoping to have the chance to show a bit as well, so hopefully some pictures will come out of that should it happen.

I leave this Thursday, and I hope to blog as often as I can, especially when I have stories to tell (and I'm sure there will be some!). Please be praying for me to have strength and courage, since this is truly a "leapt before I looked" opportunity for me. I will be away from my family and boyfriend all summer, so please keep them in your prayers for strength and patience. If you happen to be a "random reader" and don't pray, you should try it someday ;)

Comments are welcomed, as well as constructive criticism, as this will definitely be a period of learning for me. Later!


~J