Today I got to have my first ever lesson with Keith Alaimo! I was so excited to be able to have a lesson with him. I'd been wanting a lesson with him for a little while now. I was really nervous at first though. But that's how I usually am with new trainers. It's not that I think that they'll be scary or anything. I am just afraid that I will make a fool out of myself in front of them.
The person who was supposed to be in the lesson with me, Dawn, ended up not being able to make it. So I ended up having the lesson by myself! I was a little worried at first but it really helped me out a lot.
I found out that my stirrups were too long so we ended up putting them up two holes. I saw that one coming though... It was weird getting used to them, but it's going to help me soso much in eq. next year. He said that I had a great upper body; which was nice to hear because at least I'm doing something right, haha. He also said that he really liked Monty. He doesn't usually like appaloosas because they're usually stubborn and slow. But when you have a good one, you have a great one. =).
When we started jumping he wanted me to halt Monty over the jump if he didn't have the right lead. After we set up what the course would be he told me just to do simples in the corners. He was incredibly surprised when I asked him if I should just do flying lead changes. The first time Monty only got the front (and made a fool out of me because I knew he could do it..) but then he started getting them. In his defense it was his bad lead though. Keith was incredibly impressed when he saw that Monty could do flying changes. It was hilarious to see his reaction. He said that I knew how to ask for them. That was another one of those moments where I got a compliment.
Oh and Monty didn't try and duck out of any of the jumps! He spooked a couple of times at the wind but it wasn't that bad. The second time I thought the first time had just been some kind of fluke because he's usually so solid about the wind and woods. But nope. He had thoroughly freaked himself out.
We worked on my ankles/toes a lot. I have trouble keeping my heels down and my toes in when I ask for a transition. Other than that there wasn't much he told me to work on. He gave me some pointers for Monty's lead changing problem. That was very much appreciated. He pointed out my rein length/not closed fingers a couple times but he didn't leave that as one of the things that I needed to work on. That's my personal thing that I've been trying to work on. He said that my upper body and my release was great. He also, apparently, liked my two-point =).
He said that Monty and I should be able to kick butt in the show.
I really hope we do!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Horse Shows in the Park
Last weekend was the H/J show down in Newberry. I didn't get to miss school that Friday because it was the end of quarter and my school's anal about attendance. It was a little more stressful to not be able to bathe Monty at home. Dawn and I drove down together after I got out of school. We got there pretty late, but Kate and Goldie had already been schooled. Carmen and I rode together. I got to jump in the outdoor arena that I would be showing in and Monty was great. Then Carmen jumped Magnum and then she got on Monty to school him over the fences in the indoor arena.
I had to give Monty a bath in the dark... Not so much fun.
The next day Carmen rode Monty first. He was pretty good, but the triple line confused him a bit. She placed 3rd, 3rd, 4th, and 4th. I showed later in the afternoon. It was really hard to wait so long to show because I was so excited! I've never been so excited to show before.
When I finally did get to show it was great. We placed 2/9, 6/6, 2/6, 3/6, 2/5. The last one was a Mini-Medal class so it was really fun. They had to make us do a flat class to decide who won it. I couldn't believe I did that well in it! When I went to get my ribbons they told me I got reserve champion and I almost had a heart attack.
The second day wasn't as good as the first. Monty had been shown by Carmen and me and that added up to 10 classes. We showed early in the day. He was really sticky with his right to left flying lead change. Carmen said that he was probably sore. We got the leads eventually. But it did take a bit longer- the judge didn't seem to mind that much. In the Mini-Medal class for that day we had some problems. We had to do a rollback on the left lead. Not only was he sore, but I haven't quite mastered rollbacks. So that was a little disaster. We lost momentum over the 2nd jump in the rollback and it went downhill from there. But we got 4th/7 anyways. (Even though we knocked down a pole.) We didn't place in the flat though... we sorta kind of knocked over a standard which put us out of the running... I was attempting to get between the standard and another horse. I figured I rather not run into the horse. Monty was great though. He didn't spook or anything when it fell over. Other than those two I got 3/9, 3/8, and 5/8.
The weekend was a lot of fun and it was nice to do something different for once. I'm hoping that we'll be really good when we go back to our last First Coast show!
On the sad side I'm now sick with a virus and haven't gotten to ride since Sunday...
I think I need to get back to the dressage. I love jumping now, but I've sort of ignored my dressage saddle for awhile.
I had to give Monty a bath in the dark... Not so much fun.
The next day Carmen rode Monty first. He was pretty good, but the triple line confused him a bit. She placed 3rd, 3rd, 4th, and 4th. I showed later in the afternoon. It was really hard to wait so long to show because I was so excited! I've never been so excited to show before.
When I finally did get to show it was great. We placed 2/9, 6/6, 2/6, 3/6, 2/5. The last one was a Mini-Medal class so it was really fun. They had to make us do a flat class to decide who won it. I couldn't believe I did that well in it! When I went to get my ribbons they told me I got reserve champion and I almost had a heart attack.
The second day wasn't as good as the first. Monty had been shown by Carmen and me and that added up to 10 classes. We showed early in the day. He was really sticky with his right to left flying lead change. Carmen said that he was probably sore. We got the leads eventually. But it did take a bit longer- the judge didn't seem to mind that much. In the Mini-Medal class for that day we had some problems. We had to do a rollback on the left lead. Not only was he sore, but I haven't quite mastered rollbacks. So that was a little disaster. We lost momentum over the 2nd jump in the rollback and it went downhill from there. But we got 4th/7 anyways. (Even though we knocked down a pole.) We didn't place in the flat though... we sorta kind of knocked over a standard which put us out of the running... I was attempting to get between the standard and another horse. I figured I rather not run into the horse. Monty was great though. He didn't spook or anything when it fell over. Other than those two I got 3/9, 3/8, and 5/8.
The weekend was a lot of fun and it was nice to do something different for once. I'm hoping that we'll be really good when we go back to our last First Coast show!
On the sad side I'm now sick with a virus and haven't gotten to ride since Sunday...
I think I need to get back to the dressage. I love jumping now, but I've sort of ignored my dressage saddle for awhile.
Monday, October 6, 2008
FCHJA, HSITP, etc.
Two weeks ago I had a show at Greencove. Monty and I just showed in W/T/C crossrails again though. The night before was a lot of fun. Monty was actually going increadibly fast so I didn't have to do much to keep him going. Except when we weren't jumping (they were set at 1'6-1'9 ish the night before) then he wanted to break in the corners. He takes A LOT of leg to keep going so sometimes I have a little trouble. I was excited that he was doing so well.
But the next day all his energy seemed to flood out of him and he wasn't going nearly as fast as he was the night before. Other than his speed, a break (in the corner), and a slight trip over one of the jumps he was great. He nailed all of his lead changes, which was the big thing. The flat was probably the best flat I've had in awhile. It felt great and Carmen didn't have to give me any tips. The only thing was that once he picked up the wrong lead once. But I fixed it very smoothly and quickly. Sadly, it pushed my placing down to fifth. But Carmen said that usually if your horse gets the wrong lead you don't place at all. That made me feel a little better. Overall we walked away with two fifths and a fourth our of twelve people.
Our next show is going to be in two weeks at Canterbury Showplace. It's a hunter/jumper show and we'll be showing in Short/Long Stirrup (2 ft.). My trainer will be riding him right before I do in PreGreen Hunter. She took him to the last show and placed well enough to get into second place in that division so she'll be trying to get into first place.
I'm excited and a little scared. I've never shown 2ft before. It's going to be a lot of fun though because I don't care what I place and I'm just doing it to get ready to move up. It's also going to be a lot of fun because I'll be with my barn!
Lately Monty's been having trouble going down from the canter to the trot/walk. As soon as he realizes he doesn't have to go fast anymore he falls apart. I've been trying to collect him a little more before I ask for the walk but he hasn't been too receiving of that idea. It's exciting for me though because a new challenge is always fun. Especially when you rarely ride any other horses. Though my trainer did let me ride another horse a few weeks ago, which knocked me off my feet because I'm not used to being able to do that! But it was a lot of fun and I got a lot of compliments. It helps to know I'm a good rider on different horses, too.
This upcoming weekend I'm going down to Orlando. It's going to quite interesting to pay to be scared,, but it's worth it. Chelle, Audra, and I are planning on going to all of the haunted houses this year!
But the next day all his energy seemed to flood out of him and he wasn't going nearly as fast as he was the night before. Other than his speed, a break (in the corner), and a slight trip over one of the jumps he was great. He nailed all of his lead changes, which was the big thing. The flat was probably the best flat I've had in awhile. It felt great and Carmen didn't have to give me any tips. The only thing was that once he picked up the wrong lead once. But I fixed it very smoothly and quickly. Sadly, it pushed my placing down to fifth. But Carmen said that usually if your horse gets the wrong lead you don't place at all. That made me feel a little better. Overall we walked away with two fifths and a fourth our of twelve people.
Our next show is going to be in two weeks at Canterbury Showplace. It's a hunter/jumper show and we'll be showing in Short/Long Stirrup (2 ft.). My trainer will be riding him right before I do in PreGreen Hunter. She took him to the last show and placed well enough to get into second place in that division so she'll be trying to get into first place.
I'm excited and a little scared. I've never shown 2ft before. It's going to be a lot of fun though because I don't care what I place and I'm just doing it to get ready to move up. It's also going to be a lot of fun because I'll be with my barn!
Lately Monty's been having trouble going down from the canter to the trot/walk. As soon as he realizes he doesn't have to go fast anymore he falls apart. I've been trying to collect him a little more before I ask for the walk but he hasn't been too receiving of that idea. It's exciting for me though because a new challenge is always fun. Especially when you rarely ride any other horses. Though my trainer did let me ride another horse a few weeks ago, which knocked me off my feet because I'm not used to being able to do that! But it was a lot of fun and I got a lot of compliments. It helps to know I'm a good rider on different horses, too.
This upcoming weekend I'm going down to Orlando. It's going to quite interesting to pay to be scared,, but it's worth it. Chelle, Audra, and I are planning on going to all of the haunted houses this year!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The 4 Horse Story In Pictures!
I felt bad that I wrote such a long post with no interesting pictures. So here's some of them!
<-- Snap!
Alfie is below
<-- Anthony looking scared.
Bobbi is the brown mare.
And Monty!! The first day he got to the barn and the first time I rode him at home.
Intro
Well I guess I better make an entry post? I've been riding for ten years. I started out at a summer camp at a place called Lightfoot Stables. It no longer exists because the people who were there were leasing it from its real owners. There I rode bareback, learned how to make my horse go where I want, let alone go at all. I rode Merlin, Lucky, and some other horses I forget the names of. It was a long time ago so I can remember mostly images and stuff like that. They had a foal there named Penny, who was adorable. I went to the camp with my God-Sister. It was a lot of fun and I loved learning about horses and being able to ride by myself.
After Lightfoot I went to a barn called Hidden Creek. It is now Iron Horse. There I worked on riding a number of different horses. My favorite was Peachtree. He was a TB and around 16 HH. He was so sweet and I really bonded with him. He was also the horse that drug me under a low branched tree... There I also got to ride in arenas with other horses in them. While I enjoyed it and learned a good portion of my riding skills there the barn owner, and my trainer, started having problems. I'm not too sure what they were but I remember her not being able to give my lessons and having her working students, who had no idea what they were doing and were not liable to give a lesson, give me lessons. For a while I put up with it but eventually it got to be too much and we left.
The next barn was the best, obviously, because it is the one I'm at now! I started at a summer camp. After that Gail became my trainer. I rode Sonney mostly in the beginning. Bucky sometimes, and another horse that is no longer there. I moved up to other horses as time went on. Including: Chance, Sunny, K.C. (before he was crazy, I swear I didn't do it! ;)), Cody, Cocoa, Spunky (I tried the last two, anyways..), Lady, and probably a few more I can't remember the names to. After Sunny and Chance left the barn I was tired of having to move from horse to horse. Through my now ex-trainer, Gail, I found Snap. He was a chesnut 12 year old pony. I had no idea what horse buying was all about so I didn't know any better. All I knew was that I could ride him. We bought him and I did w/t/c to crossrails with him. He was the first horse I ever fell off. His bad habits and a spurt of emotion made me sell him. Thankfully I already knew someone who was leasing him who was willing to buy him.
My hunt for a horse started again. It was not fun looking for a horse, especially when my trainer wasn't there with me. I had some bad encounters with horse people in that time. I finally found an Arabian. His name was Alfie and Carmen, Anthony, and I went to see him. He was a sweetheart and we decided to get him. We bought him, had signed all the papers, but we had to go out of town for a couple weeks. So the lady said we could get him to the barn when we got back.
When we got back.... the lady had decided she should not have sold him. Even though she already had. My mom told me she was willing to sue but I was too upset to want to deal with it anymore. The lady vowed to help us find a horse.
The horse she found? Was a TB mare who hadn't been ridden in over a year. I didn't want her i the first place. I had no interest in her, but the woman trailered her to Skyway. I was not looking for a horse like her. I was not yet that experienced to deal with a horse like Bobbie. The lady was angry when I didn't want her. The barn bought her instead since she was only $600.
I waited and looked for a horse. I didn't want to go through any of that again. Now I knew what I was looking for thanks to Carmen. One day I had gone into Horse & Kennel. Kim knew about my search and all my problems. She told me about a family who was looking for a good home for their horse. They didn't want to put him on the market because of all the crazy horse people out there (talk about irony). Kim said that she had told them about me. I was not sure about this new horse. I hadn't had any luck so far so I was skeptic. Anyways, I found myself driving there with my mom. Carmen couldn't be there that day.
When I got there I remember seeing Ally with what looked like an oversized donkey. I wasn't very optimistic, remember? She saddled him up and I went with her to watch her ride. Our mother's talked meanwhile. He looked good. Then Ally offered to let me ride him.
Now let's remember that I've always been an incredibly timid rider. I liked taking my time. I wasn't sure about it but I remember thinking 'what the heck.' I got on him and Boom. I felt safer than I ever had before. There was an immediate trust. An immediate bond.
Carmen came back with me to see him. She wasn't completely sure about it. Monty was a four year old appaloosa. This explained his rather awkward looks. I may have been riding awhile but I had never ridden such a young horse. After we had both ridden Monty Carmen took me to the other side of the barn to talk to me. She told me that getting such a young horse would be a big task. I would have to work really hard and spend a lot of time on him. I thought about what I was getting into. It was a big jump. But I remembered that first ride and how I felt when I was riding Monty and I knew I had to get him. He was mine.
And all the time I've put into him has paid off. He's an amazing horse and I love him even more than I did then. His value has increased from when we got him to a good sum that I'm very proud of.
Now that I've gone on and on about my horses... I ride english: hunter and dressage. I go to local shows mostly. I have jumped up to 2'6. (I really started getting into jumping when I got Monty) But I show in XRails consistently. Soon it's going to be two foot, but I'll talk about that in another entry.
Carmen has been my trainer for the last six or so years. She's amazing and has helped me get over so many of my fears and problems. At Skyway Meadows I've met so many wonderful people. I've made friends I hope never to lose.
I'm sorry that's so long. But I had fun writing up my past =).
After Lightfoot I went to a barn called Hidden Creek. It is now Iron Horse. There I worked on riding a number of different horses. My favorite was Peachtree. He was a TB and around 16 HH. He was so sweet and I really bonded with him. He was also the horse that drug me under a low branched tree... There I also got to ride in arenas with other horses in them. While I enjoyed it and learned a good portion of my riding skills there the barn owner, and my trainer, started having problems. I'm not too sure what they were but I remember her not being able to give my lessons and having her working students, who had no idea what they were doing and were not liable to give a lesson, give me lessons. For a while I put up with it but eventually it got to be too much and we left.
The next barn was the best, obviously, because it is the one I'm at now! I started at a summer camp. After that Gail became my trainer. I rode Sonney mostly in the beginning. Bucky sometimes, and another horse that is no longer there. I moved up to other horses as time went on. Including: Chance, Sunny, K.C. (before he was crazy, I swear I didn't do it! ;)), Cody, Cocoa, Spunky (I tried the last two, anyways..), Lady, and probably a few more I can't remember the names to. After Sunny and Chance left the barn I was tired of having to move from horse to horse. Through my now ex-trainer, Gail, I found Snap. He was a chesnut 12 year old pony. I had no idea what horse buying was all about so I didn't know any better. All I knew was that I could ride him. We bought him and I did w/t/c to crossrails with him. He was the first horse I ever fell off. His bad habits and a spurt of emotion made me sell him. Thankfully I already knew someone who was leasing him who was willing to buy him.
My hunt for a horse started again. It was not fun looking for a horse, especially when my trainer wasn't there with me. I had some bad encounters with horse people in that time. I finally found an Arabian. His name was Alfie and Carmen, Anthony, and I went to see him. He was a sweetheart and we decided to get him. We bought him, had signed all the papers, but we had to go out of town for a couple weeks. So the lady said we could get him to the barn when we got back.
When we got back.... the lady had decided she should not have sold him. Even though she already had. My mom told me she was willing to sue but I was too upset to want to deal with it anymore. The lady vowed to help us find a horse.
The horse she found? Was a TB mare who hadn't been ridden in over a year. I didn't want her i the first place. I had no interest in her, but the woman trailered her to Skyway. I was not looking for a horse like her. I was not yet that experienced to deal with a horse like Bobbie. The lady was angry when I didn't want her. The barn bought her instead since she was only $600.
I waited and looked for a horse. I didn't want to go through any of that again. Now I knew what I was looking for thanks to Carmen. One day I had gone into Horse & Kennel. Kim knew about my search and all my problems. She told me about a family who was looking for a good home for their horse. They didn't want to put him on the market because of all the crazy horse people out there (talk about irony). Kim said that she had told them about me. I was not sure about this new horse. I hadn't had any luck so far so I was skeptic. Anyways, I found myself driving there with my mom. Carmen couldn't be there that day.
When I got there I remember seeing Ally with what looked like an oversized donkey. I wasn't very optimistic, remember? She saddled him up and I went with her to watch her ride. Our mother's talked meanwhile. He looked good. Then Ally offered to let me ride him.
Now let's remember that I've always been an incredibly timid rider. I liked taking my time. I wasn't sure about it but I remember thinking 'what the heck.' I got on him and Boom. I felt safer than I ever had before. There was an immediate trust. An immediate bond.
Carmen came back with me to see him. She wasn't completely sure about it. Monty was a four year old appaloosa. This explained his rather awkward looks. I may have been riding awhile but I had never ridden such a young horse. After we had both ridden Monty Carmen took me to the other side of the barn to talk to me. She told me that getting such a young horse would be a big task. I would have to work really hard and spend a lot of time on him. I thought about what I was getting into. It was a big jump. But I remembered that first ride and how I felt when I was riding Monty and I knew I had to get him. He was mine.
And all the time I've put into him has paid off. He's an amazing horse and I love him even more than I did then. His value has increased from when we got him to a good sum that I'm very proud of.
Now that I've gone on and on about my horses... I ride english: hunter and dressage. I go to local shows mostly. I have jumped up to 2'6. (I really started getting into jumping when I got Monty) But I show in XRails consistently. Soon it's going to be two foot, but I'll talk about that in another entry.
Carmen has been my trainer for the last six or so years. She's amazing and has helped me get over so many of my fears and problems. At Skyway Meadows I've met so many wonderful people. I've made friends I hope never to lose.
I'm sorry that's so long. But I had fun writing up my past =).
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