Hey Vacation!!!

Friday I hacked Henry after work and he was a bit finicky... not really bad but not really fun to ride. Maybe it was cause I didn't really lunge him- who knows. I worked him (and me) pretty hard: engaged walk, staying in the frame through our transitions (this really pissed him off), crisp transitions, straight lines off the rail, listening to my leg through turns (less hand and more leg)... then lots of walking to cool us out :)

Saturday I had a lesson... He was really good and responsive. We started out inside doing flat and then went down below to jump. Through our work inside I was reminded about keeping his straight both other then that my trainer said good things. Then we went below to the big arena to jump... started with an X with everyone- back and forth back and forth. A few times we had some lead change issues but over all it was good. We moved onto a little vertical/X thing and that went well other then getting in a little deep a few times. Then Laura, Lysstte and I moved onto a vertical- I was either hit or miss- good distance or and oh shit one and I would get him in a little too deep, nothing that was really bad but not good. I am still struggling to understand when I see a distance that isn't going to be good, what to do because I thought getting a little deep is better then taking off way long... Lead changes were pretty good. Then Juliana got on him and did some bigger stuff and he was good. I am really loving this horse!!!

Oh and I measured the last vertical that we did and it was 2'9".. I was proud that we jumped it, didn't feel nervous and was confident.

Bayley and I leave tomorrow and come back Thursday night. I scheduled a lesson for Friday morning since I am gone all week and my trainer is gone the 4th-12th.

Pretty sure we going to a horse show at the end of August as well :)

PS I LOVE the Olympics!!! I NEED one of these!!

The love of my life... pictures!!!!

Thursday 7-19-12

7-19-12

7-19-12

Juliana 7-24-12

2 point :) 7-24-12

Pretty boy! 7-24-12

I need sunglasses... 7-24-12

Henry was a good boy for the trainer ride yesterday, I went to watch and was very proud of him. He jumped well and even did some of the eventers jumps :)

All tucked in eating his dinner :) 7-26-12

Double Days

Trainer ride this am went well... they said they jumped him big and he was really good. Even jumped a fan and apparently jumped WAY over it haha.

Lesson tonight- For some reason it was hard... I think it's b/c I shortened my stirrups a whole (and they are a tad to short now, need a half whole punched) and it put my off my mojo. Anywho on with the mission :) I felt like we were mushing well tonight, not much critique from my trainer other then keeping him straight. We jumped a little X back and forth back and forth back and forth... also worked on lead changed after the jump. I feel like I got a good workout ha!

Off tomorrow, trainer ride Thursday, hack Friday, lesson Saturday.

My fav camera man (and his awesome wifey) was at our lesson tonight so hopefully we will have some pictures soon! :)

HIGH Horse

Got Henry, DRUG him up to the barn- thought to myself how wonderful this ride was going to be with a nice lazy horse, tacked up, went to lunge and BOOM came the wild horse... there went my nice calm ride :) Lunged him and he wasn't really wearing out so I got on...

Rode inside and was alone... trotted a bit and he was high so we cantered and worked on staying way off the wall and going straight- which is a feat since Henry likes to use to wall- use my outside leg and both hands to keep him straight. Also worked on him really listening to me and turning at random spots to make sure he wasn't going on auto pilot around on the rail. I also worked on him moving off my leg and also turning with using my leg and less rein.

He was drenched in sweat when we were done and I still felt like I had another hours worth of horse to ride left- seriously he is SO fit!

I cooled him out, untacked, hosed him off, washed his legs, prettied up his main and tail, got his extra hay and headed down to put him away... as always I cleaned all the poop out of his stall, checked his water, gave him kissed and headed back to the barn- grabbed my poweraid and went down to watch Lyssette ride the pony.

After that I came back up and cleaned my tack, put everything away, chatted a bit and headed home.

Trainer ride/lesson tomorrow, off Wednesday, trainer ride Thursday, hack Friday and lesson Sunday.

Next week Bayley and I are off to visit family in MO so bear with me as I won't be blogging. Henry will get ridden Tues and Thur, hubby will turn him out Mon and Wed and I will be back to ride Fri.

PS... my wonderful paparazzi is back tomorrow night, yay for pictures!!! And a bigger yay for Kat coming back to ride!!!

Yikes

I am way behind!!! It was a crazy week at work last week and I got sick... my wonderful daughter brought it home from daycare :)

Wednesday I got Henry out and let him do his thing.

Thursday he had a trainer hack and then I had a lesson. He was really good and we even got to do a little course a couple times.. and they weren't all just little X's :) In the trainer ride he had a little incident with a wall jump cause of a long spot and cut his right hind a little, I tended to it and cleaned it after our ride.

Friday I was sick, no bueno!

Saturday hubby worked so he got a trainer ride and I heard he was good and high ha!

Today I turned him out for about an hour and then cold hosed his leg. It's a little swollen but not too bad. I put some bag balm on it too ... hopefully he will be all good tomorrow.

Hack Monday, Trainer ride/Lesson Tuesday, off Wednesday, trainer ride Thursday, hack Friday, Lesson Saturday.

Why yes I will thanks!

I went out Monday night to hack... no one was around so I booted Henry up and turned him out in the really big round pen to hangout. I tidied up a few things and then went out to lunge him... he had rolled, awesome more for me to clean up ha! He was wild, it was super windy and I was glad he was getting out :)

Start of a buck/run/wild stallion action

I brought him in to clean him up and spend some time with him (no one was around so I was hoping someone would show up so I could ride)... in walks my trainer and her daughter and she tells me I should get on, another lady is coming to ride... why yes I will, thanks for offering :) I got on and had a good ride. We worked on the norm- straight, good flexsion and frame, composed canter departures, an engaged walk, lifting my hands and really pushing him into the bridle at a forward trot. I also got to do a little jumping- an X and little oxer.. of course that meant we worked on lead changes too and for the most part they were great, much better over all then Saturday- though Saturdays were almost all good :)

Today was a trainer ride and they said he was good- one of the better jumping days he's had. I went up after work and fed/loved on him.

I think he will get tomorrow off since he had a hard ride Monday and Tuesday... trainer ride/lesson Thursday, hack Friday, trainer ride Saturday.

Such a cute boy!

Weekend Catch up

Friday we went to a friends graduation and I couldn't bring myself to make dinner, let alone ride so Henry got the day off... he has two hard lessons Thursday (am with trainer and pm with me) so I didn't feel bad giving him the time off.

Saturday I had a lesson. He was good. A little fresh at the beginning so we cantered a bit in 2 point to tire him out some. Since we were in the big lower arena a few times around and we were ready to ride. I felt like this was one of the most physically demanding lessons I have had.. maybe I was still tried from the way to long day on Friday but I worked hard- or so I felt. We even did no stirrup work, yeah I need to practice more of that, Henry has the WORST trot. We also jumped AND got some nice lead changes. He was jumping left on Saturday, go figure! Again I was exhausted so at the end of the jumping my lead changes fell apart and I got in trouble but my legs were like JELLO and like I said I got some really good changes up until the end. And there were only two that didn't go well so I am not complaining :)

Today Henry got turned out, I cleaned my tack and loved on him.

This week I have a crazy big project/deployment at work so I am not sure how much riding I will get done but this is my plan...
Monday hack, Tuesday trainer ride, Wednesday off, Thursday Trainer ride/lesson, Friday hack, Saturday trainer ride.

I was looking back on the year that I have had Henry.. WOW I am so impressed with where he has come :) Some of my fav pics

the other 1/2 of Thursday

Had a lesson tonight. Man I worked hard.

We started out in the indoor arena and worked on forward forward forward. We also worked on going down the center line, straight... at the trot and canter. Man does he like to bulge! And man is he heavy on the left side.

We also had a lesson in make Henry listen due to a saddle pad falling off the rail and unbeknown to me- it was the scariest thing ever! We worked through it and I even got some "good Karley" 's out of my trainer :)

Then we moved onto the jumping in the big lower arena. Now by this time Henry and I were POOPED.

We pushed forward to jumping. He was drifting WAY right at everything and I couldn't relinquish my right rein completely despite being told to... because when I did he drifted WAY left. So we have some working out to do. I am only jumping him maybe once a week so I really don't think I am going to take ownership of that habit since someone else is jumping him 2-3 days a week. I can't wait to take more lessons and jump more, I'd like to really shape/make this horse for me and not have him made by others. Other then that the jumping was good, we worked on a few jumps in the arena and lead changes were really good.

I might ride tomorrow, not sure yet... lesson on Saturday.

Wendesday... and 1/2 of Thursday...

It was way to hot to ride Wednesday so Henry just got turned out...

I got a message that they rode him this am and he was good and jumped well... yay!

It's another hot day today but I've got a lesson tonight so I'll stalk up on water and charge forward :)

Monday... Tuesday ...

I rode Henry last night and he was super good. There were two other horses in the arena who were crazy. Made me appreciate Henry so much! He took everything in stride, was soft, responsive and worked well. At one point a bird flew into the mirrors right as we went by and spooked Henry a little- I got a good laugh.

Best seat in the house :)

Today Henry had a trainer ride and I was able to get out and watch. He was really good and jumped well too. Had one "encounter" with the black and yellow jump- took the whole thing out, didn't quite jump enough. The next time around he was more attentive. I am excited to ride/lesson Thursday and jump him :)

I am not sure about tomorrow, lesson Thursday, hack Friday, lesson Saturday.

Love

AMEN...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6Qk7AdVgE&feature=player_embedded

June 7, 2012

Today my trainer said " Karley I think he is finally getting broke" about Henry... I told her SHHHHHH we don't want to jinx ourselves haha! Anywho he was good for them today, needless to say!

I am probably going to give him tomorrow off with some time turned out to just be. Monday hack, Tuesday trainer ride, Wednesday I am not sure yet, Thursday lesson, Friday hack, Saturday lesson.

Oh Hey!

Henry you were so good last night and FUN to ride :) I love saying that and am so thankful that there are more rides like that then ones where I am scared to death! I would say most of my rides these days are great, not meaning that we are perfect but I don't feel scared or like I am going to die... yes I get some moments where my nerves come but nothing I can't push through.

Juliana did a little hack/jumping on Henry and then I had a lesson... we flatted, he was soft and mostly listening :) We jumped, I was nervous but did it- the first two time through I froze, not good. After that I got my head in the game and it went better, even got lead changes :) Good boy Henry, Good girl Karley haha!

Hack tonight, trainer ride tomorrow.

4th of July

I started out the morning by sleeping in till 9 (thank you Bayley for sleeping in!) and then headed up to the barn to ride. Henry was good. They took all the jumps out of the big arena so it felt really really big!!! I worked him pretty good and since there weren't any jumps I worked on straight lines off the rail which is much harder then it seems in an arena that is 200x325. We got it though :) He was pooped as was I... cleaned him up and let him eat some of the little grass I could find ha!

Henry wishes everyone a happy 4th of July

We went to a bbq and had a great 4th of July. We are so thankful for everyone who has, is and will sacrifice for our country!

Lesson Thursday, hack Friday, trainer ride Saturday.

Horse Show pictures and a training ride video

First off Henry had a training ride today, he was good and we are back to riding in the Mikmar cause of this heaviness Sunday :) He jumped well and didn't flinch at anything! Oh and his lead changes were pretty good. I am thankful for all the work that they are helping me put into him and that my hubby has been so nice to let me spend the extra money :)
Video of some Jumping on 7-3-12  (Don't mind the lead change debacle)

Here are some horse show pics from a barn buddies husband, big thanks to them for the pics! :)

Hack tomorrow (4th of July), lesson Thursday, hack Friday, trainer ride Saturday.

Recap

Horse show was great! Henry was awesome, so laid back! He did 8 classes... 4 with me and 4 with Juliana.

I did 21 inch Hunters, Under Saddle and two Eq Flats. As the day went on he got stronger and stronger in the canter- despite be working him between classes to "tire" him out. He wasn't bad per-say but he was SUPER strong at the canter to the right. No matter how many half halts and whoas I did it didn't help- I tried to be soft to aggressive, yep not doing anything. And he was so good in the warm up sooooo I was a little pissed at him. You know that feeling of oh yeah we are going awesome, he is being good, I feel good and them BAM canter to the right and it wasn't horrible but we lost it there. Oh well... theres always another show.

I am thankful for NO stopping or big freak outs.

Next time I will probably do all 6 classes in the division or maybe Juliana will do the first and then I will do the next 5... that is if I can afford it :)

A barn buddy's husband took some pictures so I am eager to see them but for now this one will have to tide you over...

2nd in our OF class (3 entries)
2nd in our Eq class (7 entries)
5th in Under Saddle (7 entries)
5th in our Eq class (9 entries)