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Month: May 2014
Three fence course
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Still from the video; we are possible a little far to the right! |
Yesterday, I dragged all three of my jumps out and set up a course for Gina. There was one 18″ crossrail and two 2’6 verticals. (I like to be able to jump fences in either direction, which is why I stick with verticals. And I also only have 3 sets of standards.)
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Blue arrows/lines are the first half; green are the second. |
Gina warmed up beautifully, walking, trotting, and cantering quietly on a long rein. This is a far cry from a year or two ago when she’d freak out at the sight of ground poles! We trotted over the crossrail a couple of times with no refusals! Is this thing on? Gina jumped without hesitation or refusal! I almost called it quits right there, but I’d spent a solid 15 minutes lugging jumps around, so we continued on.
The verticals were a breeze; we had mostly good distances and I managed not to duck as hideously as I do with Moe. There was one very long spot to a vertical that made me grateful I remembered how to slip my reins and not catch my horse in the mouth! (Thanks, Moe!)
Since we were totally in the zone, I perched my phone on a barrel that was doing double-duty as a support for a standard that’s missing a foot. I managed to get some video proof of The G jumping stuff like it isn’t even a big deal. I’ll spare y’all the whole video, as it’s 4+ minutes of me fiddling with the camera, walking Gina, and swearing when we hit a nasty spot and I almost went off to the side.
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I knew you could do it, Gina! That’s why I bought you in the first place, you wretched creature! |
Now, here’s the question: Take Gina to the event derby at The Woodlands on June 15, or take her to the Sport of Kings Challenge for dressage and jumper classes at Remington Park June 22? Both are about 2 hours away; they’ll also cost about the same. I feel like Gina is equally reliable (or unreliable) for either show. I’m kind of leaning toward the event derby, as I know Gina enjoys cross-country and it won’t require me to braid. (And who am I kidding? I like cross-country better, too!)
Sale roundup
I don’t know about y’all, but it seems like my inbox has been flooded with sale offers from all my favorite tack places. I thought I’d round them up and post them, just in case someone has missed one!
- Equus Now is having a serious sale on breeches. Like 65% off serious. Almost every pair is under $50, and there are a variety of styles, sizes, and colors to choose from. I can attest to the quality of the customer service at Equus Now; I bought a pair of tall boots from there, and they were absolutely great to deal with.
- Dover Saddlery has some good deals in their closeout section right now. On Tuesday, I found a show shirt for the low, low price of $0 and totally ordered it. Sadly, Dover caught their mistake and informed me the shirt was actually $30 and they would not be sending it to me for free. Oh well. At least I tried.
- Chick’s Saddlery is having a huge spring sale, with items up to 80% off. They have a weird selection of stuff, but you can get a package of 8 party hats for $2! You can also get a lunge line for $15, a fly mask for $13, and nylon halter for $10. Bargains for sure.
- State Line Tack is currently offering 15% off everything as well as $2.99 shipping on orders over $69. They have a good selection of affordable gear and the shipping is fast.
- Tack of the Day isn’t really having a sale, per se, but if you’re not acquainted with this website, I would encourage you to get cozy. Every weekday at 12 EST, Tack of the Day posts two new deals. They also have a Tack of the Day Too section, which is full of discounted goodies that often stay on the site longer than the daily deals. I’ve gotten all sorts of stuff from TotD, including a Courbette bridle with reins for $60 and a pair of white On Course breeches for $30. The shipping takes forever, but the deals are often worth it.
Dressage with a dog
After ignoring me for a week and a half, Gina was sure happy to see me this afternoon. I loaded my pockets down with granola bars, shouted “MOE! GINA!” into the pasture, and was rewarded with the sight of my two ponies (and their elderly Arabian friend) galloping toward me. While Moe’s always come ambling up at the sound of his name, this is new for Gina. Whatever, I like it!
I settled Princess Pony in the cross ties and proceeded to talk for what felt like an hour with the barn manager; we were mostly talking feed regimes and adjusting my horses’ to better reflect their workload and age. Gina stood quietly, for the most part, until I ducked in the tack room to grab her bridle. I heard an awful racket and heard the barn manager saying “Easy, easy!”
Apparently, Gina had taken it upon herself to rear up in the cross ties totally unprompted. She miraculously managed to not smash into a light bulb or otherwise electrocute/injure herself. She stood totally still after that, as if she’d frightened herself. What a freak.
We were having the loveliest, softest, best dressage school when a dog appeared out of nowhere. It ran up to Gina, weaving between her legs and under her belly, dropping behind to nip at her heels, and at one point, jumped up her side to try and sniff my foot. Gina took it like a champ, albeit an irritated one. She shimmied away from the dog, gave a half-hearted kick at it, and otherwise ignored it as best she could. We tried to continue on, but the dog was too disruptive. (I mean, have you ever tried to trot with a dog leaping up your horse’s side? Yikes.) I dismounted, walked Gina and the dog back to the barn, and locked it in a stall with a full water bucket on the ground. The dog was not thrilled and spent the next half-hour whining pitifully.
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HERRO, Y U LOCK ME IN STALL?? |
Gina continued to be a freaking dressage boss, and when we were finished, we headed back to the barn to see our new dog friend. Gina was not putting up with the dog’s shenanigans; as soon as I’d unbridled her, she promptly escorted herself into an empty stall and waited for me to finish untacking her. She laid her ears back and bared her teeth at the dog, who totally did not get the message and ran around underneath her anyway.
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“Are you going to do something about this?” |
The dog had a collar on, but no ID tags anywhere. She was super friendly, totally ignorant of how to behave around horses, and was obviously well fed and cared for. Except, you know, for the whole no ID thing.
Weekend in numbers
10: Number of hours involved with Saturday’s concession stand adventure at the Green Country Dressage schooling show. Johnny and I bought items, made posters, hauled SO. MUCH. STUFF., and operated a concession stand for what felt like forever on Saturday. Let me tell you, it was not a profitable endeavor.
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This must be what it looks like at the Irish Setter factory. |
4: Number of hours Johnny and I spent playing Rock Band 2 on Sunday night. (Apparently, Rock Band skills gained in college do not disappear with disuse over the years. I am still amazing.)