Baby Greenie Support Group now open: Share Your Pain!

[BustersMom]

Bumpkin, I am so glad that Merry says that we can be long stirrup lifers. I figured it out that it has been about 28 years since I appeared in the show ring. At that point I was doing the Ammies and the Regular Division as there was nothing else post Junior. It is good to know that there are others out there like me. I even found that our local association has a 2’ Pre Adult Division. This sounds like I might be able to do this. As I discussed my plans with my currently timid daughter last night she asked how I was going to be able to do the pre Adults when she was thinking that she was going to do the pre Childrens which are frequently combined. Told her we’d toss to see who got to wear the show clothes.

Member of the Baby Greenie Support Group

[Gayle]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for as you waved it over your baby hunter or jumper?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would wish for her to have a longer attention span. No you don’t need to change the way you spook at the same old trash can by the ring at home. Gee, today it is only to the right at a trot. Tomorrow it is only to the left at a canter. Next week? Hmmm, every direction at every gate. Makes the ride more interesting for her. Never mind that she has seen it no less than a trillion times.

As long as we are dreaming how about: yes you can go around collected, moving forward, and on the bit without snarking about it.

Newest Member of the Baby Greenie Support Group (but slowly growing out and graduating!)

[Chef_Jade]

You can see we are still not at the “contact with the mouth” stage. But he does know his leads! (mostly)

[Gayle]

Apparently Duffy, you haven’t ridden in the ring since he started turning them out in the larger paddock that they can see from the other doors!

[hoopoe]

Congrats Bumpkin.

Hot soak.

I thought Mr Cresty looked oranger than usual.

_\]
– * > hoopoe
Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled.

[Chef_Jade]

The difference is 6"

I guess they needed a division between the Sort/long stirrup at 2’ and the children’s A/A’s at 3’ so they created this one. Mr. Chef got a kick out of the fact I was competing against 8 year olds.

But we have regressed. Last year Jade and I were doing the Modified Jr/AM (3’3") to get us ready for the A/O’s. Not anymore!

[Merry]

Glad to keep hearing from everyone, especially since… although it’s wintery nearly everywhere now (LOL, it was 78 degrees today) it will be show season once again in a few months and we’ll get to try all over once more!

Frankly, I can’t wait to see how the Hambolarama does. He’s quite nice to ride and jump in my lessons. And the Barbie Cow is doing really well after 60 days in the western saddle, Yee-haw! I’ve been hacking her some English and she’s coming forward from behind much better. But I trust her about as far as I can toss her.

Next step: Getting Mr. Beezer to cough up some moolah for Beezer to get a new horse. Yes, I’m afeared it’ll be somewhat green. Just as long as it’s started under saddle. I mean, I love my little sister, but the idea of “doing” one more greenie… I’m thinking appy or appendix 1/4 that just needs a career change into the realm of the hunter/jumper 3ft. world.

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Lord_Helpus]

AAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH!

Two days ago we had a big rain. So yesterday, before harrowing the ring, I took the doggie pooper scooper out and picked stones (I really love my horses…) I also took a little bucket, and whan the bucket was full of stones, I would dump the pile outside the ring (on a gravel driveway – what could be more appropriate?).

But Warren walked into the ring today and he JUST KNEW that something was different. SOMETHING was out there ready to jump at him and scare the bejeebers out of him. He … just… knew… it.

After three times around, he figured out what it was – the little piles of stones OUTSIDE the ring on a gravel driveway!

Screaming halt. Heart pounding. Ears flicking. Eyes popping. Throw engine into reverse gear, with attempts to DS&S (drop shoulder and spin). If I hadn’t been laughing so hard I would have clobbered him. But I know that clobbering him only reinforces the terror (I can FEEL his heart trying to come out between his ribs – he is really SCARED!). So I just patted him, let him look at the stones and walk by cautiously with heart a-thumping.

To take his mind off the stones, we started jumping gymnastics which got progressively harder. That he could do. That was easy. But… the piles of STONES! Even on his way out of the ring, he gave them a careful looking at in case they had come alive in the meantime and were hungry and ready to pounce.

Why do I love this horse so much?

[Duffy]

Poor Beezer. I’m so sorry about Tigger’s feet!

[Bumpkin]

haha
I will bring the average back up with the fact I am going to be “FIFTY” soon!!!

What really makes me mad, is that I will have to show in the under 50’s all next year, because I will have missed the cut off date by a few weeks!!!grrrrr

[Bumpkin]

You can do it!!!
And we will jangle the curb chains for you this weekend and expect some news as soon as you can tell us about it.

I know because tonight in my lesson, and I have only had maybe three since my fall in December, we were jumping again!!!

I mean we were jumping where we left off!!!
My trainer is so awesome, she not only knows her clients really well and can figure them out pretty well, she also studies our horses and knows how they tick too.
I always want to just hug her, but I hug Elliot and just get teary eyed and gushy and thankful to my trainer

V. .V
.( * )

[Merry]

Congrats, Duffy! That must’ve been exciting to display your baby’s talents.

Yup, our babies are pretty good up in the hills. I mean, where can they go? What’s the worst they can do? Gallop off? To where? But riding up and down the trails along the streets, even though they’re pretty quiet streets, is frightening.

We had three babies all out of the same mare who would absolutely NOT perform by themselves. For their first entire year of showing, the “warm-up round” consisted of Beezer sitting astride a more sedate horse INSIDE THE SHOW RING while I crept and schooled around the course. Talk about embarrassing! It was like, “Yeah, this horse is real broke.” The idea eventually worked, and the horses got braver, but needless to say, we got rid of that broodmare.

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[Janet]

came through today.

Belle decided she only had two canter speeds- full run and up-and-down-in-place like a merry go round horse.

I wanted to do some of the exercises from the GM clinic, but it took me the whole time to get the “canter over rails in a circle”, and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

[Merry]

Hey, Pam, I’m so hoping for a positive medical prognosis for you. However, let me point out that the first thing ANY doctor ever seems to say to me is, “You should stop riding horses.” It’s pretty bad when my freakin’ oral surgeon tells me that, LOL! So if you get “bad news” can you seek a second opinion from a sports medicine person? Or if you’re told to cut back, you have two other alternatives: 1. Start riding dressage. Debbie McDonald switched to dressage after mulitiple neck vertebrae injuries/surgeries, and look where that got her! 2. Be the next amateur owner hunter guru. You can guide, console and school folks like us!

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[LittleWitch]

This weekend my sister took my boy hunting for the first time. This was his first away-from-home activity and he handled it really well, thanks to his wonderful connemara tempermant and extensive trail riding experience. He was a little excited at the start but he settled down and they had a lot of fun. They ran with the second flight and jumping was optional so they just skipped the fences that looked too big. Hopefully next time they hunt I can go along and take pictures.

He has grown up so much in the past couple of months that he is almost not a baby greenie anymore. That means that I am going to have to come up with another excuse for his occasional naughty behaviour…

[findeight]

I can’t stand it. Best thread on the BB and me with a 12 year old mare. Can I post here please? I had a green kind of lesson today, funny too. Hope you don’t mind.
Setting up indoor arena for weekend show with portable stalls going up at the far end, you know the booger corner where they keep the lions, the one most of the horses fall in around the corner to keep from getting close to, if they go near it at all.
At the other end, just outside a regular type door to the porch, barn help setting up the Christmas lights and hanging wreaths on the metal siding.
Regardless of Jeff and George I assesed the conditions and ran for the cotton to stuff in her ears. I’ll use any crutch I can.
We started the lesson amid tools dropping and power saws humming behind the partition on one end and giggling and yelling barn help just outside the other.
After about 10 min we actually got past the center of the ring and performed excellent shoulder ins, ok actually trying to bolt for home but I won’t tell if you won’t. Trainer yelling make her stay at the trot and her trying to suck back right out of her skin to stay away. Only to trot down to the other end and face the barn help banging on the outside wall.
When we were forced to jump mare was so worried about everything else she went right thru a trot fence. On the next try, equally concerned with everything but me, she looked at the jump at the last second only to see a flower box and just about knocked her teeth out with her knees. As LordHelpus can attest mine is not a big round crackback jumper by nature so I pulled about half her mane out.
Finally advancing to a little course we were confronted by…person carrying large wreath with rattly plastic bow. Blessed by good fortune for the next line was leaving out a stride. Had no trouble reorganizing with the power drill in front of her either.
Because of my remarkable skill at “adjusting strides” we quit there.
Could not, however, lead her out of ring due large Santa with jingle bells going by.
Trainer says we must train for anything if we want to show.
We are now ready for power tools and decoration installation on the hunter course.

From Allergy Valley USA

[Pocket_Pony]

I wish that Mickey’s head would not go straight up into the air when he goes into his baby green classes. He looks like a giraffe and it is quite unattractive. I wish that he wouldn’t wiggle and zig-zag down the line, trying to figure out how to get out of jumping over those scary flowers and shrubbery.

But I must give him kudos - he doesn’t do anything bad in our classes…so far no bucking, spooking, scooting, stopping. Other than his giraffe-neck, he’s quite the gentleman!

(i’m knoocking on wood as I type this)

“Oh Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!”

[Merry]

The Dekstmeister is so cute! And Beau is of the Hambola ilk: a very lovely head/neck there!

Hammie went on his first yee-haw ride up in the hills on Sunday. I rode him in a western saddle, thank God! I went with a group of girlfriends and I had no idea they were so… so… wild! I kept thinking, “Man, here I am on this expensive hunter, and I’m four-wheeling it up these hills.” But Hammie was really good and seemed to enjoy himself. Then today we jumped at my trainer’s. I did solid 3ft. courses, and he was really good. I can’t wait to do the ammie adult division next year!

“Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”

[TrickOfTheTrade]

Just got back to from the barn and had to share about my wonderful greenie.
My trainer has so many new riders that all seem to come out at one time and with only 3 lesson horses will sometimes use other orses in training. The funniest thing is that she can put a beginner with only a few lessons and he will just trot around like he has done it his whole life (That is once they get him moving, as he is really lazy). He just put his head right where it is supposed to be and tromps around the ring like an old school horse. If only I could turn him better we would already showing over fences.

[Beezer]

to all “our” new baby green groupies! So very many ponies have joined up. I ALWAYS WANTED A FANCY PONY!!

Poor Tigger. He had to be ridden in the rain and chill and wind. He was not amused … particularly when the clumpy dirt would fly up and smack him in the belly. It added a little extra (i.e. unneeded) bounce to his step.

But he was such a good boy … one thing about Tiggers, they may start out silly, but they soon settle down to work.

I see trees of green, red roses too. I watch 'em bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself … what a wonderful world. Yes, what a wonderful world." – Louie Armstrong.