New digs

So!  Apollo and I are moved into the new place.  We're boarding with a friend of mine, the same friend I boarded Reveille with when I first got her.  There is a LOT of open space, as I'd mentioned, which means a lot of fencing to look over.  And then replace with tape.  And a lot of brush to clear from the fences.  I'm actually looking forward to the work, to tell you the truth - I'm feeling sluggish from not cleaning stalls daily, and I could use some physical work!

Apollo's also made friends with his new pasture mate/mates.  Things are set up such that Apollo and Hank, the closest pasture mate, don't actually share a field, because Apollo is of course the low horse in the herd.  He's just not interested in making any points or challenging anybody, really - he just wants to be friends, be everybody's little brother who's simultaneously lovable and irritating.  So when Apollo got there, Hank said "buddy, you can live here, but I'm in charge!"  And Apollo said "yes sir! Certainly I'll move away from this bucket mostly full of my dinner, sir!"  

Thus, they're next to each other but aren't able to get at each other, just for feeding time purposes.

Did any of the rest of you do gifted & talented education in school?  Do you remember those puzzles that were like "Draw a line through this REALLY COMPLEX FIGURE so that A and B can't interact but that they each get an equal share of this resource"?  I have a real life one of those now. I think that there's no way to actually make it work out with the conditions we have, so I'm going to need to come up with another set of conditions to make things work out right.

Step 1: Remove sharp stuff from pastures (including old gutters or metal flashing that was knocked down in a tornado and then stacked along a fenceline and a flat metal gate that's in rough shape - replace with panelling gate).  Step 2: Rework pipe corral panels in pasture 1 (where Apollo and Hank are) to make better sense.  Step 3: Clear brush from pasture 1.  Step 4: Lay out jumps in pasture 6, mark arena.  

There's some interim stuff in there, like moving the chest freezer that holds the sweet feed for Hank, Tango, and Eli into the space I've designated Feed Area; replacing the big water trough; getting a set of dressage letters; getting a three-step mounting block; rearranging the tack room (again; I did it once, then a little more, then a little more when I created the Feed Area); and generally making plans for more boarders.  Yknow.  Stuff.  Work.  Things I need to know much, much more about.

Anyway, for the moment, Apollo has a cut on his RF pastern that's healing fine but precludes riding, unfortunately.  He doesn't seem to be in much pain at liberty or on the longe, but he was uncomfortable at the trot under saddle, so yeah.  One painful step is all it took; I can imagine how working with a cut like that would feel!  So we're waiting .... waiting ... for ... Vizzini ...  Again.  :)


I don't have too many pictures yet, but here are a few:

Poor kid - the day after he got there he had to have his teeth floated.

Looking west from the little arena by the main barn behind the house.
There's a neat little pond behind the hayrack, and beyond that
is pasture 2; beyond THAT is pasture 3.

Looking mostly north toward the house from the same little
arena.  Beyond the house and its front yard are pastures 5
and 6; I've claimed pasture 6 for the arenas because
it's the flattest and best drained.

What, more changes?

It appears to be time for my quarterly update.  :)

So.  As the title implies, there is more upheaval coming my way - has already arrived, mostly.   The teacher I've been riding and boarding with got the job offer of a lifetime in Santa Fe, NM.  Of course, the job requires that she *live* in Santa Fe ... so the barn we've been at is closing as of the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the new job needed her there like, yesterday, so she's been gone since Jan 31.  Her husband went with her, only to have to turn around and go on a long business trip - poor Teacher!  So ... at the barn now, that leaves ... um ... me.

I've been enjoying the hell out of being in the working student position, cleaning, feeding, and generally doing barn chores on an intermittent basis.  I'm now enjoying the hell out of being the barn manager - feeding, cleaning, tidying, sorting, washing, grooming, turning out, bringing in, handling emergencies, and generally doing work every day.  Even on the hard days, like yesterday, it's the best work ever.   Granted, I'm tired - physically and emotionally, because worrying about the horses when I'm not right there is draining - and I want a day to sleep until I don't feel like sleeping any more, but it's still the best work.

It's very strange to find myself in the "manager"ish position.  I would say that I don't know shit about shit when it comes to running/managing/being in charge of a barn.  I would say that with great certainty, especially having seen how TW et al managed the barn in Idaho and how I made (many many many) mistakes there.  So far, the learning curve has been steep, to say the least.  How things happen, what needs to be done to keep a barn the way I think it ought to be kept, what I can change, what I can't change, what I'd like in an ideal barn, how much work it is to do all of this ... etc.  Teacher tells me to not underestimate myself, my knowledge, and my skill - heh.  I know what skill is, and I ain't got it.  But I don't suck?  I guess?   All I can think of is MT telling me "you just need miles, lots and lots of miles," and the general fact that I don't know crap.  I'm learning.  So far, no horses have been hurt as a result.

Of course ... there WAS a scary colic episode with Apollo two days before Teacher left for NM.  Stress colic, I'm sure, but not fun.  I had to have the vet out and everything.  :/  If he hadn't started looking more comfortable when he did, we might have had to haul up to Knoxville to get him into the UTK vet clinic, or we might have been able to run IV fluids at the barn ... either way, super scary.   He's fine now, but of course I'm stressing about the fact that everydamnthing at the barn is frozen.  Water, pipes, everything.  I'm hauling in water, but it's still scary.  Especially with Apollo colicing recently.   Tennessee isn't really good about burying water pipes deep enough, because hey - it's Tennessee! It totally doesn't freeze here, right?!   Sigh.  So I'm hoping there will be water this evening when I get there, because the temperatures are rising ... there should be water tomorrow, I would think, and if not tomorrow, Sunday, but I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT.  NOT EVEN A LITTLE.   Heated buckets would be great, but that would require water to put in the buckets.  :/

Anyway, yeah.  Stress-ville for me with the freeze.  The bathroom building is heated, as is the pump house, and it's been tempting to sleep there.  Just ... because.   Yknow.  Watching over horses.  (This is one of the things I've decided is necessary if I ever actually run a barn, which is vanishingly unlikely - if I were to do it, I would want to live on site.  I hate leaving the horses alone.  Even in their stalls, I hate it.)

So yes.  The new situation will be boarding with a friend at her house.  She has many many acres of pasture, including a flat area that will do nicely as a riding spot.  It's got good drainage and is comfortable, and we're talking about expanding into more boarding and generally upgrading things.  It's a blank slate, really, and it might be fun to see where we can take it.  Lots and lots of room for pasture, lots of room for a home XC course, et cetera.  It'll just be a LOT of work.  Which I'm happy to put in.  (Another thing I re-realize is that physical work is seriously good for me in all ways.)  So we'll see.   It's hard not to compare things with the barn in Idaho, but that was 30 years' worth of work and investment.  And it's still developing.   So ... we'll see.  I don't know that I have 30 good years in me at this point, but I'm going to assume I do.  At the very least, Apollo will be safe, happy, and comfortable, and I'll have lots of space to ride in.  I'm buying Teacher's jumps, too, so there will be plenty of jumping.  :)

Finding a new teacher ... we'll see.  I'll update as I can.  

So yeah.  That's the info dump for now.   More later, as usual!

Changes in latitude

By this time you're used to me not posting very often, yes?

So we are in Tennessee!  People, dogs, cats, and horse too.   The barn I'd planned to keep Apollo at turned out to be a lemon, so I went with Plan B and am boarding with the teacher I chose.  She happened to have a stall slot open up right when I needed one, and I'm really glad she did.  All her horses (small barn - 7 horses total) are healthy, happy, and in good shape, which wasn't necessarily true for the horses at the other barn.  So I'm pleased with where I am, even though it's more expensive.  Apollo is safer there, and I'm secure in knowing he'll get good care when I'm not there.

The barn at the top of the hill

The new place is on a hill (like so much of Chattanooga ...).  The barn with the stalls and the tack/hay/feed area is most of the way to the top of the hill.

Halfway down the hill is a secondary barn, not used for horses at the moment, that has the office, wash rack, and small indoor arena.  Sorry; no photo.

Down at the bottom of the hill is the jump field and the dressage court field.  It's not huge, but it's plenty for jumping.

Teacher and her husband setting some jumps

Teacher getting ready to video a different horse for sale

I hopped on for a flat ride on Saturday while teacher's daughter rode over some jumps - Apollo was excellent, of course.  :)   No big deal to be in a totally new place with another horse doing all kinds of things right there.  Just business as usual.  See?

I didn't really even need to longe him.

EARS!  Love this view.

So ... we jumping the colored poles or what, mom?

I also got to take Apollo off on his first little trail ride!  Suddenly I remembered what's awesome about TN, from the saddle.  The scenery was gorgeous, even just in the little area we were in.  Apollo was a star, too, especially for not having a lot of exposure to this kind of forest.  He just calmly followed the little mare in front of him and didn't freak about anything.  See?

Tired of Apollo's ears yet?  TOO BAD!

I adore this photo.  Gorgeous scenery, gorgeous horse.

Seriously, we had a great ride.  Sunday we jumped a little.  Horse and rider both need to get back in the swing of this jumping thing.  ;)  It went better when I remembered how to use my leg, for sure.  New teacher's approach is different from MT's, but there is a lot of good stuff to learn there.  She pointed out that Apollo needs to relax better, be more comfortable, etc - we'll start doing some little things on the ground to help him out with that, and I'm incorporating more bending and flexing into our warmup.

I'm seriously grateful to everyone at the Mitts' for the base of learning that I have.  I feel like I have a really useful toolbox to work from, as well as an eye for what other tools will be useful and what won't be.  (Not that I have found any that aren't since moving here, you understand.)  

Can't wait to keep on riding and jumping and learning - there's a little schooling show coming up mid-November that I'm planning on tagging along to, and that should be fun.  :)

So anyway, further updates as things progress, but yeah.  Life is fine.  More to tell.

Looking forward to the future

Up again

So I have managed to recover my soul from the depths of the soul-sucking job.  I think those depths are in the dreamlands, because recovering it seems to have involved a lot of sleep.  Alas.  Anyway, soul recovered, which means riding time!

I am always amazed when I get back on after a while off.  It's not that Apollo is the same horse, fitness-wise, because of course he's not.  It's that he goes back to work so happily!  He brings his neck round and tries to lift his back - only tries, and only manages it for a few steps at a time because fitness - and is generally pleased to do whatever I want to do.  Kind of a "see, human? see how awesome I am for you? come ride more!" feeling.  :)

I decided today, after riding on the flat yesterday, that I wanted to start him back under side reins today.  I'd like to start encouraging his back to come up and his neck to come round, and side reins every few days can help strengthen those muscles.  Obviously riding him correctly is a much bigger part of that, but this is kind of like a different workout for him.  Like doing a day of abs or whatever for a human.  :)  

And at the same time that he's getting back to fitness for being ridden, I'm getting back to fitness for riding!   My core is a little sore today after riding yesterday and then hopping on quickly today before turning Apollo over to M to ride.  So that's good; sore core muscles = I was using my core!

So for the next week, I'm going to focus on riding him forward and active, which leads to better roundness.  And while I do that, I'll work on transitions, especially down transitions, getting them smoother and more pleasant.

Oh - I did get to hop on the legendary Courage, too!  He is a very sweet fellow, and once we figured out how to talk to each other, he was a good sport, too.  Apparently my accent is funny, according to his reaction when I would ask him to come into the outside rein.  ;)  But we figured it out, and it was a fun ride!  Thanks to the Sprinkler Bandit for the chance .... and she'll get a chance to get on Apollo sometime this week too.  Only fair, right?

To catch up

So.  The big news, and why I was thinking about New Barn showers, is that Apollo and I are moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee next month!   It's actually me, Apollo, both corgis, and both cats.  I'm sad that I have to leave the barn I'm at, because there's nothing like it near where I'm going.  I've been both blessed and spoiled by the Mitts - they've been in the property for 30 years, and it's been their only job for many of those years.  I don't know where else I could get such incredible instruction from such wonderful people ... I am truly going to miss them.  I chalk up any and all skill I have right now to MT being patient with me and teaching me, and any and all knowledge I have right now to TW being willing to talk and show me things.

It's going to be an adjustment, for sure, but ... there are lots of positives to this.  I'm moving for a really great reason (*wave*  Hi!), and there are lots and lots of great facilities for eventing near Chattanooga.  Poplar Place is right there, Chattahoochee Hills is close, all kinds of stuff.  I have decided on a place to keep Apollo for the moment - J&S Equestrian Farm.  He'll be on pasture board there, which is ideal for him, I think.  I also decided I really like the way Kelly Stoochnoff teaches, and I really like that her horses are healthy, happy, and well cared for, so I'll be riding with Kelly, even though she's not based at the same barn.  

So that's the future!

In the present, I'm packing and sorting and cleaning and packing and packing.  I need to make sure I have everything sorted from my tack locker, too, so I can sell anything I don't need or use.  Then I can organize the blankets/sheets, wraps, tack, and all and figure out whether I need a Stanley trunk (most likely) or what.

I've been riding a little, and now that my job has accepted my resignation early, I have some time to ride a LOT!  Maybe I can get Apollo's topline and muscle restored at least a little bit before he gets on the trailer for 8 days and loses it all again ... sigh.  :)   All in all, I am happy for the chance to spend more time with him.

Tomorrow I get to head over to hang out with The Sprinkler Bandit and meet Courage - maybe hop on him if she wants me to or will let me, and then I hope she can come out and hang out with Apollo, though she's still working.  What, the whole world doesn't operate on MY schedule?  Come on!   ;)  Alas.  Anyway, very much looking forward to that.

So big adventures coming up - lots of opportunity for shows and schooling and whatnot, and new things to learn!  Don't be looking for me in the hunter ring, though.  I ain't got a hunter ring ass, for one, and for two, I just don't love hunter riding.  Jumpers, sure!  And I'm sure I'll do jumpers, since there's a lot of that available.  But I want to event, even if my highest aspiration is just a T3D.  So yeah.  Look out Area ... um, III - one more BN rider coming your way.  :)

Soon

I managed to score a keyboard for my iPad on the very very cheap, so ...soon. Entry soon. Much to tell.

VCBH: Chock full of advice!

Another Magical Blog Hop by Viva Carlos!   What *would* I do without them?   :)   I suppose I could write about my riding life - which is fairly slim pickins these days, given I'm working 10 hour days - but there's not much to report.  My horse is amazing, outstanding in his field (wokka wokka), and charms me to death every time I see him.  :)

Meanwhile, Viva Carlos asks: What is the best advice you've ever gotten from a trainer or another rider?  What is the worst advice you've ever gotten from a trainer or another rider?

The answers are pretty easy, at least for the Best Advice column:

* Keep your chin and eyes up - MT and ORE.  I didn't realize this applies to dressage as well - but omg.  When I stopped looking at Apollo's head and neck while practicing dressage, things got WAY better, WAY faster.  Huh.  Talk about your simple mind-blowers!

* Don't give up/you give up too easily - MT, TW, everyone!  This is self-explanatory, really.  I have to accept that I'm not in a position to be a high-level rider right now.  Especially right specifically now. Big changes coming, and trying to work as much as I can to get caught up on and out ahead of my bills, which means I don't have a lot of time.  The best time for riding right now is early morning, and having to be at work at 8 makes that almost impossible for me.   Anyway, I'm not giving up.  I'm getting out as much as I can, riding on the weekends, etc., and I know this won't last forever.

* "Get your spurs."

Worst Advice?

Try Parelli.  ;)  That, or any jumping advice that doesn't start with "keep your leg on, and keep it securely under you - don't let your lower leg slip back at all.  Keep your weight over your hip and leg."  (Unless it's into water or down a bank, in which case the advice is sit WAY in the back seat.)

VCBH: Interested Parties

What made you interested in your current horse that led you to buying them in the first place?

What would we do without Viva Carlos' Blog Hop?!  :)   Good question!

Honestly, I saw Apollo's ad a couple of times before I responded to it.  The picture was of his owner at the time riding in a nice dressage seat in a Western saddle, and the terrain was kind of rough.  Apollo looked nice, but he was maybe a little tall, and I wasn't sold on it immediately.   However ... the thing that attracted me to him was his kind expression, lovely neck, and relaxed trot.   That plus the fact that he'd gone Novice once before with redheadlins spurred me to email about him.

When I met him, I watched his owner tack up and ride, and he was just a cool, calm customer.  I got up in the saddle myself, and I just had this feeling that we spoke the same language.  It wasn't just astonishing love at first sight, though it was click at first sight.  His attitude and willingness and general ... well, self-ness attracted me to him, and I asked to take him on a week's trial to see how he jumped. (There were no jumps at his owner's place.)

After that first jumping lesson when I forgot how to heels down and ended up on his neck, I was sold on him -- he didn't flinch at my mistake.  That was it - I quoted TSB and said "Yup, she's not getting this horse back.  I'm buying him."  :D

And the rest is history ... and love.  :)

VCBH: The Simple Life

Other than money, what would make your horsey life easier?

Other than money ... well, it all comes down to money in the end, doesn't it?   

A truck and trailer would solve a LOT of my immediate and near-future problems; but that's a matter of money!  I'd have one if I had the money.

More time to ride and take lessons - time that's currently taken up working to make money to support myself, time that I could spend if I were independently wealthy.

A new saddle - which would be purchased with money.

I think if there's anything intangible I could use, it would be better self-discipline.  I could use it to work out and get fitter, break through the tiredness, yank myself out of emotional/mental black holes, etc.  That would solve a lot of problems!!   So yes. If you find any self-discipline at a garage sale or anything, let me know!

OMG! Prairie's Mom is a GENIUS!

Side note, why don't we get to register for new horses??? New horse owners are JUST as inundated with endless gear... plus the cost is also crazy.. I vote we start having "horse showers" and registering for things!

This is one of the single best ideas I've heard in a LONG time!  We could register for new horses, big barn moves, and our first big shows.  :)

So -- maybe L. Williams wants to make this a blog hop!  I know for sure that I'd register for at least two of those occasions, and here's what I'd register for:

BARN MOVES:

* Monogram stickers from Personally Preppy.   Just so my stuff doesn't go walkabout.
* A new Ovation schooler helmet to put said monogram on; just seems like a good time, since I've fallen a few times, even though I haven't hit my head much at all.
* Shirts with the Mittleider Eventing logo so I can rep my roots.  Um, yo?  ;)   Long sleeve technical material for cross-country, t-shirts or polos for lessons!

FIRST BIG SHOW:

* Woof Molded Galloping Boots, white, front and hind, unless someone wanted to get me Dalmar boots in white.  ;)
* Show coat that's actually in my size.
* FITS show shirt
* Handy caddy for carrying show things
* A portable chair
* Extra armband and insert
* Rulebook
* Yknow, funny first-big-show stuff like that.


Let's totally start a registration revolution!