Riding in a Cast

Spring break is almost over! This means that I've already finished my shift of farm sugaring, have already gone skiing, and am now back in Austin. Obviously, I have a few pictures to show for it.

Sugaring was incredibly fun. We had several good sap runs, some lovely weather, and best of all it was a week spent living with around 10 of my best friends. It was a very good time.

In Jackson, my dad and I skied for two days. The snow conditions weren't great--I've never seen the Bowl in such terrible shape--but a good part of the mountain was skiable and we had two very good days. The moguls were great!

And that brings us to yesterday, when I went riding in a cast. I didn't think I'd be allowed to ride, but  was proven wrong, on the condition that I make my best effort to not fall off. It was a pretty decent ride--my instructor noted that my hands are much better now than they were last time I rode Jones, and that I must have been doing a lot of flatwork. She was right; that's pretty much all we do at Stoneleigh. (Even if it gets a little frustrating, at least when I start being allowed to jump bigger I'll know that I must have REALLY good eq on the flat. Or something like that.) I think my leg also looks better on the flat. 

My mom took a bunch of pictures. Here are the best ones.

I'll be able to go riding again tomorrow, and might actually be able to take some pictures of my own. Also, I spent a good portion of last night oiling my saddle, so now it looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm always surprised by how well it takes oil. 

More pictures soon!

The Horse Show

Last weekend I rode at the only horse show I've done all year. I'll say preemptively that we didn't bring home any ribbons. Jones kept refusing fences because I was either inadvertently holding onto his mouth or I looked down for the stride instead of riding it properly, or some other combination of little mistakes that made a difference. We actually did pretty well-- the lines and single fences that he didn't refuse were really good!

Even though we didn't win anything I still had a great time. I took a lot of photos, too.

All the photos I shot as stock are posted on my deviantART stock account, Ophelia-Stock. Feel free to take a look!

Big Bend and Jones

This past week I was in Big Bend on a school trip where I took lots of pictures. But I haven't uploaded them yet, so you'll have to wait. In the mean time, I have pictures from riding on Saturday. Jones was absolutely fantastic, continuing on from the show last week. I was so pleased with him. He moved out very well for me and got most of his spots. The only ones he missed were due to rider error (oops). Both Debbie and I were very happy.
Pictures.

He may not be the fanciest jumper, best mover, or most perfectly conformed horse--but he knows how to get the job done. He is fourteen or fifteen, so he's been doing it a long time. I can only hope to ride more horses like him in the future.

As for my eq, it has improved. Saturday was a bit interesting, because I have a nasty sunburn on the inside of my calves and that is not exactly helpful for keeping the lower leg in place. Still, I think it stayed pretty secure throughout. It was just the trot afterward that killed. Anyway... it was a really really good lesson.

Oh, yes, and as a side note. This spring break I'll be working on what will be my first finished custom. It's part of the "Think Green" Spring Stablemate Swap. It won't be green, and that's all I'll say. There won't be any updates on it until it's finished, to keep it a surprise.

"You're not in Kansas any more..."

That's my favorite quote from James Cameron's movie Avatar, probably because the person who says it looks just like my awesome 7th grade science teacher (but much meaner). It also happens to be the way I felt this morning at the show. Last year, Jones and I won Year-End Champions in Open Hunter--but that was on the schooling circuit. This year we're showing the next level up, and competition is about equivalent to what you get on the A show circuit, so I've been told. It may be a little less competitive, but apparently it's close. Though we may have dominated last year at schooling shows, albeit due to sparse competition, this year is not going to be the same. We're not in schooling shows any more.

That said--Jones was wonderful. Wonderful! Our first round, the warm-up, was... a warm-up. I didn't get Jones moving off to the first fence, and that is what always gets us. Granted I didn't have my spurs on, but that's not a very good excuse. We added in every single line and didn't use the corners well in the very, very small arena. But since it was just practice, it didn't really matter. I popped my spurs on before the second round and Jones cooperated. The only issue was that he got going too fast toward the end and I didn't shift gears fast enough so we ended up overshooting a line a bit. The last round, though... that was perfect. Okay, not perfect, there are a bunch of nit-picky issues like needing to get him to counter-bend better and letting my leg slip a little, but it was really really good. Kim said it was the best show round we've done together. We placed fourth for both Hunter rounds in a very crowded Youth/Non-Pro class, not a terribly easy feat. I have every reason to boast about how good Jones was.

As you can see, it rained. At least, in the morning it did. There was thunder, lightning, and water--the whole nine yards. But then it passed and the skies cleared. Unfortunately it stayed cold and windy, but it was bearable with the sun and a bunch of horses around.

In response to a question from the maternal unit, yes, I do intentionally crop out the riders sometimes in pictures of horses. In fact I do this often because I'm NOT taking a picture of the rider, I'm taking a picture of the horse! So if someone's face looks strange it's not ruining the picture.

I would put pictures of me riding, but I don't want to spend the time to blur out my face. Too lazy tonight for that.

Prepare for a week of silence after tonight. I'll be on a school trip to Big Bend, having fun hiking and laughing at girls who bring and wear mascara--and promptly sweat it off down their faces. It should be fun, plus the scenery should be great. Not to mention the geology, which is why we're going in the first place...

Night, all! Send love to my handsome Jones (pictured below in the rather unflattering photo).  And those who dare say a word against him (father!)... he will require an extra carrot to soothe his grief. And perhaps a silk handkerchief to wipe away his tears.
Sorry, I'm a little hyper.

Better Position/Stronger Leg

Though I've recently decided to stop taking perfect position so seriously (and thus improved my riding), it's still important. Lately, I've been working on keeping my shoulders back, body straight and, most of all, leg still. Jones requires a strong leg, and keeping my leg still requires a strong leg. I no longer have a strong leg.

Two years ago, I left my old barn and came to where I am now. The only reason I've glanced over my shoulder is that I hardly ever trot without stirrups these days, whereas I used to every time I rode.

Lately, my leg is what I've worked on most, alongside keeping  my body slow over fences and allowing Jones to close my hip angle. It has been going pretty well so far. I've been tieing my stirrups loosely to my girth as a guide, and so far it's been helping. By Saturday, I think Jones and I will be ready to show.

As always, Jones has needed work on his upward transitions and keeping up a constant pace to the first and second fences in a course. If we can do good transitions and keep moving at the start, the rest of the courses on Saturday should go smoothly.

Ah yes. Saturday is the first show of the season. It's the more prestigious circuit around here and I'm hoping to do okay in my eyes, even if we don't place. According to Debbie we'll be competing in Youth/Non-Pro and we'll be in a square arena. It should be interesting.

I'll have updates tomorrow after show prep and a show report on Saturday.