Horizon Outlook; Static, please.

Paloma and I at the short course event in May, showing off her hunter side.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I had my first ride in a week since Paloma was semi-diagnosed with a mild tooth/gum infection and I realized how much I have taken my dear steady stead for granted over the years.
Horrid to think it takes the times where you or your horse are out of commission for you to really step back and see what you have for what it is rather than continue on with day to day schedules thinking nothing of it other than 'this is my life'.
So far the outlook for her tooth looks decent or at least static for the time being, cross fingers.
The lump is no longer warm or painful to her, it is now hard and regular temperature and.... she yawned for the first time since, *cheering*. This is a telltale sign that Paloma is feeling good and is ready for work.
Sounds backward right? I know, but it is true for her.


I held off for the week as far as riding went but Pal still received plenty of pampering including a medium length ear trim, fetlock, pastern and whisker trim. Goddess worthy but still pasture horse friendly.
I wasn't originally going to ride Sunday but Pal 'told' me that she felt good and wanted to go out for a ride. I, happily, listened and saddled up and ever so hesitantly bridled up. Pal accepted the bit without qualm and quietly chomped on it for a few minutes while attempting to sneak chews on the cross ties. Good sign!


Out in the grass ring, Pal was dozy from the several squelching hot days we have had this past week and after a long walk/lateral warm-up she picked up her long, flowing HUS worthy trot that she shows off on those 'I feel loose and jazzy' days. Often followed by a squeal when she is hyper.


We didn't work hard, just a few reminders that you did NOT forget what move away from the leg means in one week, pft. Nice try! Afterwards, she obliged happily and with me being super conscious about being soft on her mouth, we got a few KILLER canter-walk transitions.
I seem to have found my tell-tale aids for this. It works like a charm and has her sitting down on that inside hind like a rodeo reiner. Don't worry! I don't mind sharing my secrets.


I am not entirely sure if this was as much taught as a natural progression but it all began with leg yielding on a circle, teaching that inside hind to take more weight and lift up that shoulder.
Eventually, Pal gave me so much so sit that I.... not knowing why I did it, applied outside leg while asking that hind leg to stay active with my inside leg and BAM! We have walk! I guess we can label this a big half halt?


I actually got quite a laugh yesterday. In her anticipation of walk thru canter, Pal began hopping on the spot when I asked for leg yield in the canter. No fault of her own, just me getting overly excited previously about our new 'button'.




On the other front, drywall has begun at the house. Whoo! This is where I start to get excited.
The house begins to look like a house rather than a skeleton with oodles of itchy, painful insulation. (Yes, we did insulation ourselves since we are too picky....ugh, thank god it is over!).
We have really begun shopping for the final details, flooring, vanities, toilets (I know stupid but I like button toilets!), kitchen cabinets etc. This is where I step into my element, swiping the good ol' gal, Visa.
Thankfully, my DH had obliged to my every whim of design theory. Let's hope it comes together :S.
For now we wait... and wait..... for drywall has a mind of it's own, like a maiden mare getting ready for birth, it is on it's own schedule. But so far! This is one aspect with no complications... yet...



Note: Jingles for Paloma's recovery on just meds alone, cross fingers! I swear I won't take it for granted!

Of MIA and Angel's Singing.

Again I am MIA... So sorry. We are in the midst of doing electrical, plumbing, exterior... erm well, let me just say we are in the middle of doing everything at the new house.
While things are really plugging along it seems all my, slightly, spare time along with my not so spare time, ie riding and sleepy time, are being contributed to house work.
No, I, myself, am not doing those above laborious things. Given I know the process, give or take, I do not trust myself to do any of it, plus, I do not do ladders. Thus, I am appointed as errand lady, scheduler, caller/callee, payor, banker and cleaning crew.
I know what you are all thinking, the simple, basic jobs, right? Well let me tell you it ain't easy!
I have to say, flatly, that I am anointing myself the 'things are all just f***ed up fixer-upper' because that is what I do.
When companies and contractors mess the whole lot up, I call, I write.. eckham, politically correct emails dictating the deficiencies and my demand... err... proposed fix it's, I make visits, I am sweet and I am plain nasty if I must be.


When I get really stressed out, luckily, the barn is there to welcome me with many open hooves, or mouths more like.
On the barn subject, I am going to have to begin keeping a better log or just get my hiney on here more often because I am completely blanking at everything but my ride on Saturday. Which went pretty great mind you.


Saturday, in one word, was sopping. After our Friday monsoon, or so it seemed, everything was soaked to the bone so all hopes for outdoor ride was out the window again.
But as I was saying last week, we have new sand, so that is a plus!


I really didn't have a plan in mind today which is very unusual for me. I knew flatwork was in order since all jumps are now outside but I didn't know what I wanted to work one. Thankfully, I listened to dear pony and she quickly told me what we needed to address. Haunches.


Paloma is getting more advanced in her flatwork but we still need refining of movements and attention span. While she knows how to use her haunches correctly, she knows she can often get away with giving me a little just to shut me up and then adjusting the volume, ie me, down to virtually 'mute' thereafter.
So as I have said many times, I don't have to completely change my approach, I just have to make it harder. The harder the work, the more I get out of her.


Lately, I have been playing a lot with transitioning out of some sort of lateral work, mainly leg yield into a transition, but also shoulder-in into a transition.
Properly holding shoulder-in and getting a prompt transition is beyond hard for both of us. I have to accurate and balanced and I must also time my request correctly to enable the transition to come through. Not to mention I have to tell Paloma, not ask. Otherwise we bobble...


Saturday's ride was one of those lack luster days. I was struggling for forward, let alone forward responses. I started working on shoulder-in since I just couldn't feel the inside hind really taking weight in either direction, though notably worse to the left. Paloma performed beautifully in both directions, breakthrough! I started losing her attention again, so I amped it up and came up with this exercise which did numbers for her already good, trot-canter transition.


Exercise- Working trot, 10m circle coming out of the corner, sitting trot, prep for shoulder-in. Shoulder-in down the long side (roughly 20m in my indoor), then half-halt, ask for canter. Not in five seconds, canter now!
After a couple tries, the improvement was remarkable. No hint of head toss, no hint of dumping the shoulder, no flattening, just pure uphill thrust. *angels sing*.
This only occurred twice before I couldn't help but drop myself on her neck laughing with lots of pets and praise.


Yup, definitely want that again!

Of Moving Out and On.

'Planted' a few blessed wish medals within the gravel in the centre of the house.
While I am not a huge believer in these things, it seemed cute and symbolic for when we look back in ten years.

 

Many, many apologies for my lack of content this past week.
Omigod, it has actually almost been a full week...Whaa. Time flys when you are not at work I tell you.

Last week we moved out of our first house that DH and I built together back in 2013. I thought I would be sad to see it go but I am kind of relieved to be honest. The house never felt like 'home' if you know what I mean.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the house, having hand picked everything to do with it, but after our one dog had her accident and choosing that, combined with her current health issues, it would be best to put her to rest, I just never got attached. Then again though, I have attachment issues.
Aside from my dog, family, horse and hubby. There really isn't much I am sad to let go when the time comes.
Maybe it isn't so much an attachment issue but rather I merely don't get attached to 'material' things... hmm.
Regardless, DH and I packed one load, moved it to storage and had the final load ready to go before anyone showed up to help us. (I don't mean that in a negative way at all, we were just wayy... ahead of schedule, as per usual).

Everyone I have ever asked always complains about packing and moving, I think I am officially the only person in the world who likes it. I feel it entertains my inner OCD. :P
We are now living with my in-laws and I have to tell you, not having to worry about cleaning and maintaining a home is relieving. Other than building the new house... but that is stress free! NOT ha!


On the note of the new house, the foundation is now in and waterproofed. Progress!
The contractors that we have hired are the same that we had used in our old house and come with the same... err grievances. While they are the typical issues everyone who builds/renovates a home has and, granted, we did know they came with 'baggage' having used them before, it is nonetheless still frustrating.
On the other hand though, we hired them back because they go that extra step that most contractors  don't anymore.

While most of the process so far has been rather dull.... exciting but not my type of fun, we did get to choose our exterior colours/brick yesterday and what do you know... DH actually agreed with my suggestion and even bettered it.
That does not happen....
We normally hash it out, both being on completely opposite planets with our ideas until we finally crash land on an idea that we both agree on. I think we are learning to accept each others ideas rather than oppose them right out of the gate. Again progress!


Here are some photos so you can follow visually.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow we recap Paloma and my first event!

Cheers. (mentally... how I wish I could have a glass of wine right now)

Forms before pouring foundation.

My phones version of a panormic photo. Looks a bit funky... but this is the back of our house/basement.

Concrete pillars that will support out semi walk around porch

Guys placing the insanely heavy beam that will support the floor system.



Inside of the foundation/basement.

Waterproofing after DH and I sucked it up and worked in the pouring rain.
This stuff is terrifying, it is attached to foundation by small square orange plates that you need a special gun to shoots massive nails into the concrete. And yes... I mean gun. It takes 'gun powder bullets'.
I learned after my freak outs that it is actually 'safe' to point at someone. 'It won't shoot unless you depress the front'.
Me- 'Yeah right...'

Summer Days Begin... In Spring!

The grass is much more luscious down in this ditch by the way....

 

Here in Ontario, Canada it is a balmy 27*c with a humidex of 32*c annnd... let me remind you it is only May 8th. No! I am not complaining, I am lovin' it. Even though I am, all of a sudden, a sweaty mess by the end of my rides and am being swarmed by bugs like I am, myself, a horse!
Cleansing the pores baby!

Yesterday, I was greeted by an almost white-ish horse, hallelujah AND I didn't leave the barn with more horse on me than is left on the horse. (Y'all should see my car seats right now..)

I jogged to the barn but called in a favour and had the chauffeur... err hubby, pick me up. I am still struggling with a dang groin pull despite the amount of stretching and days rest I take. Price I pay for taking years off my running regime.
Thankfully, warming up sans stirrups seems to relieve my gimp. I now understand how riding CAN be physically therapeutic rather than just mentally.


The outdoor ring has finally opened up for business and my ride was just lovely.
The sun was shining, I was in a t-shirt, pony-kins almost has a full silky summer coat but there were a buttload of bugs! Ugh...hello summer itching.
Paloma was alert but not spooky. Though she was pretty well aloof to my aids because the giant polar bear dog, Chance, was running up and down the fence line and he is wayy... more interesting than work.
After a, what felt life, endless attempt at getting her attention with transitions, changes of direction, lateral work etc etc, Pal finally got down to work for the last fifteen minutes of our ride.

While we took it easy to build up our tolerance to the sudden heat and humidity, we still had some nice moments where I was pushing my 'shopping cart' ie horse and Pal was pushing into the bridle quite nicely. Of which, forward into the bridle, is our biggest struggle right now.
Paloma, for the most part, gives me two options, forward and stretchy hunter or collected but stiff.
Option One, obviously, is our default from hunter days and it is just lovely so I have a hard time not falling back on it, and Option Two is a work in progress. Option Three... Forward while pushing into the bridle is another work in progress but it is coming much easier than collection. I think collection will be demoted to Option Three while we work on this.
H'ullo long seas of trot poles! Here we come. Push that shopping cart!


On another note, our house began to be built this week. While it doesn't look like much yet I will share some photos. We already have a few headaches that I refuse to allow to get me down dang-it!

I can't help but think how teensy it looks.... I cringe slightly thinking of it. BUT I remember thinking the same think about our other house and now thank the stars I don't have to clean anything bigger! You truly realize the size of your home when you have to clean it!

Hole diggin'

Forming the footings

Poured footings.