Can we have an adult re-rider support group?

[CVPeg]

Spacytracy - don’t be too hard on yourself. Sounds like you’ve got a plan and will be moving ahead. Hang in there. I think you must be disappointed that you didn’t get to go to the show. I would be!

Who knows what was going on that morning. A cloud could have been in the wrong spot in the sky. Some days they have it, and some days they don’t…

Pancakes, Dash is a doll!

Well, all, I have to say for now, I don’t mind the time change, because it has me getting up earlier - I ride in the mornings, and it seems to make them stretch out a little bit.

It has been so unbelievably beautiful up here the past couple of days. Took a long ride on the dirt roads today, wearing my brand new bright orange Lands End vest. And for someplace way out in the country, you’d think we were a metropolis with the road machines we had to pass. B was very good, though. Time at the track does help take the monsters at face value, but he also got in plenty of looks to the side - “you want me to pass by this huge crane?!?” :lol: He did it! It was so nice out he would have even ventured further on to new roads without being nudged, but thought he could also use alot of quality time in the pastures, so we headed back.

Hope you are all able to enjoy this weather as well!

[iechris]

Stayed out of work yesterday with what I thought was a sinus infection, but turned out to be a monster allergy attack. I wasn’t feeling too good this AM so I tried to call my trainer and cancel my lesson but her voice mail was full. So, started feeling a bit better and went any way. I’m really glad as I had a great lesson, finally back to cantering around parts of courses and had a good time watching my much more advanced lesson mates. I had almost no stamina, but I think the allergies and all the sinus meds (plus a motion sickness pill in the AM thanks to plugged ears) might have contributed to that.

I SO need to motivate myself to go to the gym. HELP!

[TarheelJD]

After spending all week out of town for work, I am headed home tomorrow, and I can’t wait to go see my horse Saturday morning!

Hope everyone has a great riding weekend!

[TBrescue]

Can I join?

I am an adult re-rider, and I can totally relate to everything you all have mentioned. I rode as a kid and stopped for just over 20 years. I started back in lessons after I got married, leased a horse for a while til I finally rescued a 1/2 starved older OTTB 4 years ago. He was not the horse I was looking for, but he has turned out to be the perfect horse for me-slightly opinionated but not at all dangerous and at the same time he is absolutely the most willing horse I have ever met! I took a chance on a skinny underweight horse who has totally become the love of my life!!!

I struggle with finding time to ride, juggling my responsibilities, staying in shape and that little voice in the back of my head that tells me I am not 18 any more and just don’t bounce like I used to!

My biggest challenges right now are dealing with the high maintenance needs of an older OTTB. He’s being treated for ulcers again after being laid up all summer from a suspensory injury-months of stall rest and limited turnout have taken their toll. Last time I had to treat him for ulcers it was after he’s been on doxy for 60 days to treat lyme disease. He’s been quite the lesson in horse management…and I have a wonderful relationship with my vet too :lol::lol::lol:

[mildot]

Oy, I’m here with a really sore right hip after Caly spooked hard at some deer that flashed by the door to the arena last night.

We were on a nice canter when we went by the open door that faces woods and she saw some deer flash by in the dark. She took off on this wild bolt and turned hard at the corner which dropped me on my hip. Luckily the footing in this place is very soft.

We finished our ride last night, but at a much lower intensity than I had planned. I could barely post, but sitting the trot and canter were fine so I drove her past the scary spot as many times as I could working transitions and some leg yields and called it a night.

I don’t think I’ll be riding for a few days now…

[Dewey]

spacytracy, it sounds as though you handled things as well as you could. The larger trailer sounds like the way to go. I sincerely wish you the best of luck with it and also with your surgery. Hope you can get some good rides in before then!

[Dewey]

[QUOTE=iechris;5948082]
I SO need to motivate myself to go to the gym. HELP![/QUOTE]

So do I! I am not a gym person, but I need to ride my bike a few times a week. I do it sporadically at best. I really wish I were in better shape.

[Dewey]

Welcome, TBRescue! It sounds as though your horse was very lucky to find you!

[Dewey]

Ouch, mildot. Someone mentioned earlier that maybe we could all get a group rate on the protective vests…was that you? :lol:

I am going to our local circuit’s benefit show tomorrow, our last of the year. I am looking forward to it though I will only ride in a couple of classes. Today I will be going to the show grounds with the BO to school a couple of horses for her. Should be fun.

[TarheelJD]

Hey TBrescue – welcome to our little group. Sorry to hear that your old friend has been laid up, and now has to deal with ulcers. Hope he is on the mend soon.

Good luck this weekend Dewey. We did our last show of the year 11/5, and it was bittersweet. I love show season, but I am also ready for a break when it’s over.

For everyone nursing bumps and bruises from unplanned dismounts - hope you are feeling better!

[mildot]

[QUOTE=Dewey;5950691]
Ouch, mildot. Someone mentioned earlier that maybe we could all get a group rate on the protective vests…was that you? :lol:[/QUOTE]
I’m in if it covers my butt…

I actually feel better this morning after a good night sleep and serious doses of Naproxen.

I may just ride tomorrow again.

[spacytracy]

Hey just wanted to report back after my bad week with my boy. I had an AWESOME lesson today, it felt GREAT!!!

Started off a little rough, me tipping forward and not sitting up. Switched to my trainer’s dressage saddle and COMPLETE change. It was lovely.

Can I jump in a dressage saddle, lol?

[jaslyn1701]

The Monster has Returned

No riding last weekend, we had a show. We all met for lunch today - fantastic!- and then headed to the barn to ride. I expected some “up” - cool and a bit breezy, but the ride was fine. But the Monster has returned. I noticed when holding Finn after I was through, he was very mouthy - trying to put his reins in his mouth, putting his teeth against my hand.

When we got back to the barn - there it was - the culprit!! The couple that take care of the barn during the week had a jar of the dreaded evil peppermints outside the tack room.

Finn turns into a Monster when fed peppermints - i.e. the very mouthy kind. And it’s only the peppermint candy - peppermint horse treats don’t turn him into the mouth monster.

Now I have to leave a note for the barn help - no crack for Finn - there are treats in my trunk that don’t make him stupid - he can have those.

[Dewey]

[QUOTE=spacytracy;5951988]
Hey just wanted to report back after my bad week with my boy. I had an AWESOME lesson today, it felt GREAT!!!

Started off a little rough, me tipping forward and not sitting up. Switched to my trainer’s dressage saddle and COMPLETE change. It was lovely.

Can I jump in a dressage saddle, lol?[/QUOTE]

LOL! Glad to hear you had a good lesson. It gives quite a buzz, doesn’t it?

[LuvMyRide]

Hello everyone! I feel like I’ve been gone forever. I had a horses how with my daughter last weekend, and the Monday took off for a work trip to middle of nowhere Arizona. Made it home this afternoon, threw on my boots and breeches and went for a ride. Not my favorite ride ever, but it was successful, I didn’t fall off, and she didn’t spook. Making progress!

[jaslyn1701]

Today turned out to be a perfect day to ride! Wasn’t too sure after the year’s first frost on the ground this morning.

Finn was so very good, well for the most part. He cracks me up - all the other ponies are standing under the tree, I ask him to move away and trot. Instead, he throws his head up and walks really really fast - but then he has to trot and does like he is supposed to. But, as we pass said tree, his trot pace gets really strong - like I won’t notice! So, I correct and we have to do it again until he gets it right.

Just for fun - we jumped a cavaletti - twice!

I tend to work myself up so much before I ride (The Demon of What If…) that I am always kind of surprised when it goes pretty well and I can deal with what the boy tries.

[spacytracy]

Hi all! Hope your areas had nice weather like we did! We had a perfect fall day yesterday. A friend of mine and I took our horses to a local park for a ride. It was lovely!

A hiking meetup group was there and they were snapping our pictures and told us where to find the pictures. My friend found them first, and sent me this…

This is me and my boy Dublin!
http://www.meetup.com/The-Montgomery-and-Bucks-County-Hiking-Group/photos/4444132/72564042/

[Dewey]

Adorable picture!!! Sounds as if you had a blast!

I went to our benefit show in a new venue. It was lovely, and the weather was great, but our barn had some misadventures. Two of our riders fell off. I only saw one of them (she was testing in the medal finals with no stirrups and got bounced off while trying to get her horse, a big warmblood, to switch back to the counter canter). The second rider fell after another rider ran up her horse’s rear end, but I didn’t see that one.

As for me, I rode a little QH I had trained and shown for three years for my B/O. I love him, and we are usually very in sync, but he was a major brat Saturday. He bucked in the ring, spooked, and refused several fences. I had to really get after him. The course was in an open field, and the fences were all things he hadn’t seen before (he HATED the straw bales), and he hadn’t been schooled over fences recently–all factors that contributed to his uppity attitude.

[OneGrayPony]

Hi everyone!!! I’m back after a wonderful several days at Hunter’s Rest. Trust me…if you haven’t done it yet…go hunt. Amazing experience and if a chicken like me can do it, you will more than likely be just fine! The horse I rode was amazing, I jumped a coop(!) and galloped in a rather large field of horses. I won’t recount the whole thing here, but you can check out the report in the other thread if you are interested (I talk too much…sorry).

Today I hacked my boy out in the big field despite the rainy weather and despite the fact that he hadn’t been ridden in a week since I was gone and despite the fact that I have been feeding him a ton of extra feed plus sweet feed, which he never has gotten, in order to put some weight on him. Somewhat surprisingly, I had a lot of horse on my hands. giggle He was good, still non-spooky, but quite a bit more forward than is his custom, and instead of trotting up the hills, he felt that he’d prefer a nice brisk canter. Ordinarily, this would cause me to freeze up in fear but after the hunt, well, a canter up a known rolling hill on my personal horse by myself is no problem, so I chuckled and we went on to do some additional trot sets in the ring.

I’m endorphin filled still, happy as a clam, and ready to plan my next outing just as soon as I can get it all figured out. Yee haw! Hope all has been well for everyone!!!

[TarheelJD]

Glad you had such a great trip OneGrayPony! I really hope to go to Hunter’s Rest next fall.

I had a fun, relaxed hack around the pasture Saturday, but Sunday, in the arena, I couldn’t get Tajar to listen to me to save my life. His trainer had to get on him to make him behave, and he was a brat even for her. Sigh. Two steps forward, one step back. Story of my re-rider life. But a bad day with him is better than a day without him.