Little Not-Successes

As opposed to "Little Successes", this past week was something of "little not-successes." I don't know if it was the weird weather or what, but Royal was not in a good mood. Friday, I went out to the farm after class to do some Game of Contact stuff, which did not go well. The wind was causing the doors to bang against the barn, which was not to his liking. He did stand for an awkward-between-the-legs-with me-sorta-under-his-barrel shot of his tail, though.

I tried to help him relax with partial disengagement and stretching, which started to help. As I started to try to play with Frame, it wasn't happening. He kept bouncing on and off the contact and it was really hard for me to keep it. Eventually I decided to go back to stretching, but he wasn't having that either. He kept stopping and gaping his mouth instead of stretching down. I could tell he was getting frustrated, but I kept at it until he would stretch down and hold it for a while.

I wanted to end the session on a good note, so I tried to do what Royal loves: go for a canter/gallop on the dirt road. It started well enough, but as we were cantering along, a bird shot up next to us, causing Royal to spin and stop. I was waffling between two-point and sitting (which was stupid. I should have chosen a position and stuck with it), and being caught by surprise, tumbled out of the saddle. I tried to save myself and land on my feet, but it all went wrong and I landed on my left knee. Ouch! It hurt, but I couldn't see any damage to my breeches or boots. It was the first time I've falled off in a long time. Royal, despite being a little freaked, stayed where he was and let me get back on. We walked back a little way, cantered the other way for a while, and walked back to the farm. Interestingly, when we cantered the second time, he gave me a nice soft canter on a loose rein. It's like he remembered I was up there and he had to take care of me. He seemed to be okay, but I didn't feel like we accomplished anything. When I got home, I found these on my knee.

Hmm. So I did some superficial damage to my knee, but my boots and breeches looked fine. Well, good on Mountain Horse and FITS. They may be expensive, but won't show any damage even if you fall off on a dirt road with lots of little rocks.

Saturday was Horse Expo day, cold and rainy. I went to a very interesting Colleen Kelly talk about rider biomechanics. She was pretty funny and suggested some exercises to help with balance. I haven't tried them out yet, but hopefully they'll help. Otherwise it was shopping and looking at the fabulous living quarter trailers. Seriously, if you've got $70,000+, you could get a trailer nicer than a lot of homes.

Sunday I went back out to the farm, but Royal was REALLY not in a playing mood. He played kinda hard-to-get, which is very unusual for me. He almost always comes up to meet me, so I figured he wasn't feeling top great after our last session. We went for a walk instead, but even that was odd. He was interested in grazing, but didn't want to be touched and seemed kinda moody. Hmm. I wondered if he was feeling sick, but his vital signs were normal. Maybe he was just having an off day; it happens.

Tuesday I was hoping to do some free jumping, so we went to the arena and after I groomed Royal, I put on his splint boots. He did the exaggerated goose-step/stringhalt walk after I put on his hind boots, which is normal. The not normal part was when he didn't stop doing it on the right hind. I checked it, thinking it was too tight. No... so then I took them off. He trotted around sound, but stiff. Hmm. I did my little one-person-amateur lameness exam, stretching and flexing. He was okay with the flexing, but not the stretching. Double hmm. But, again, no lameness or excessive heat. I gave him some bute before I turned him out, which hopefully helped him feel better.

But, all I can say is "hmm." We'll see what happens.

"Good Lord, How You Frustrate Me Minnesota Weather!"

The Minnesota Horse Expo is this weekend, and I'm going on Saturday. It should be fun, but the weather always has to play a few trick. Today? Cloudy, sorta windy, not too bad. Sunday. Partly cloudy, some sun. Tomorrow?

Cold and rainy with a chance of SNOW.

Sometimes I really hate the weather here. Sheldon does a good job getting the general spirit:

Phooey.

Little Successes

AAARRRGGGGGFFFFFFFLLLLLLLLGGGGGGGLLLLLLLL! FINALS! BLERGH!

Okay, now that is out of the way, onto good things. I haven't had too much time to play with Royal (see above), but what little time I've had has been fairly successful. Last Friday was nice and sunny, so we played out in the field on the 45-foot line. He gave me some really nice, soft trot and canter pretty far out on the line. So I, of course, decided to ramp it up and see how he did at the gallop. He tends to get really tight and high-headed, so I anticipated some fireworks. Which I got, a little. He's a little hard to slow down afterwards, so I think the next step is to just let him gallop until he comes back into the canter by himself. But right now, he's not fit enough for that, so we'll just keep doing "sets" OnLine and riding for now. Research has shown that doing sets are really efficient at fitting up a horse and hopefully it'll keep building his self control.

I also may have, erm, altered his tail slightly.

I banged it. (By the way, the term "banged" supposedly comes from the practice of banging tails on blades with blocks of wood to blunt the end) It's not the most radical, but I can definitely see the difference when he moves. I'm not sure I like it, since he doesn't hold his tail like a regular sporthorse. He tends to hold it straight out, especially at higher speeds. So I probably won't do it again. I've trimmed the hairs at the top of his tail and that looks better (will have pictures of it soon). Also, look at the black hair on his legs. It seems like it's staying a lot longer this year, even though he started shedding earlier.

On Saturday, it was cold and rainy and dreary, so we were confined to the indoor and practicing stuff on OnLine. I set up a 2'6" jump and had him practice jumping out of stride. Again, he did very well. He tends to find a pretty good take-off spot on his own, so all I have to do leave him alone when I'm riding. Then I decided to try desensitizing him to the clippers, which also went fairly well. It didn't help that it was raining and someone was longing a young'un in the arena, who was having too much fun bucking and rearing, which got Royal's blood up. But he still let me have the clippers around his head and ears, and actually clip his legs.

He was not very sure if he liked the look or the rain. He was really not happy with the rain.

Sunday we practiced trailer loading. He hasn't been in the trailer since last October, so he was a little nervous, but willing to hop on and off. I didn't have a lot of time, so I left it there. We continued with it on Tuesday, but this time I actually got smart and used the clicker. He tried to be all weary, but the power of cookies won him over. I got it him to stay in the trailer for 5 seconds before backing out. But I need him comfortable in the trailer for the start of our Summer Adventures.

You may remember my *New Years Resolution(tm)* post back in January, and while most of the plans are going fairly well, there have been some changes. First of all, I am NOT planning on competing at Otter Creek, at least not in the spring HT. We're not at the point with the GoC where I feel comfortable adding the stress of competition to it yet. So, instead, I'm dropping that plan and adding three (!) new competitions. The first is the spring version of the MN Hunt Cup! Yay! I was ridiculously excited the news and I'm still very excited. Low-key and relaxed x-c experience not too far away and it was so fun. I don't know if we'll do as well this time, considering a lot of the competitors didn't quite know the purpose of the event: to practice pacing. So, who knows. But it'll most likely be great, and a friend is probably going to be competing as well. Awesome! Then we have the Carriage House Schooling Show, doing the 2' jumpers as a confidence builder, but hopefully also the walk-trot dressage tests. Again, it'll depend on where Royal and I are with the GoC. And, in late June, we have a SCHOOLING horse trial! I know! And it's not too far from the farm, except...

Royal is moving. After graduation, I need to focus on getting a job and more experience for vet school. So, he's going to live at a family member's place, which is going to be a lot cheaper for me. I'll be losing both the indoor arena and closeness to the Cities, but I'll have a lot more space for my jumps and the ability to set up a little dressage arena, plus space for galloping. We'll also be close to a trail park, so I'll be able to do lots of trail riding. So, quite a few pluses, but I'm sad to be leaving the farm. Royal's been there for over six years, and it's become like a second home to me. But the horse care aspect has started to slip (Almost all the shelters in the pastures have collapsed and I am REALLY tired of picking burrs of Royal's mane and tail), and it's not set up for someone like me. So, it's sad, but a necessary change.

The adventure's only begun...

Adventures, Peace, and Pedicures

Bah. Another week, another paper/test/ridiculous assignment. And now the U has one last dirty trick up its sleeve with regards to my internship. We'll see if lawyers have to get involved, but hopefully not.

Royal and I had a grand adventure on Saturday. I had enough time to get some riding in and we played with posture and frame. I can get everything (head, shoulders, spine, abs, knees, and feet) in the right position for about half a stride before it all falls apart. So I'm working in pieces, starting with the abs. It seems like if you don't have those right, it's hard to get anything else. I think I was marginally successful. Afterwards my barn owner asked if I wanted to go for a ride on the road. Which I agreed to, and we moseyed down the dirt road until we got to the highway. And decided to go across. To the suburb-like paved-street neighborhood.

I don't think Royal's ever been in the suburbs before.

But he did great! We first encountered a shiny horse-eating little windmill which he briefly thought was going to eat him but then decided it was in a coma harmless. We walked a little more before we encounter some dangerous children. Normally I would have invited them to come and pet Royal, but he was trying really hard to hold himself together, so I decided against it. To their credit, the little munchkins kept their distance. Onwards, we found some scary siding materials and barking dogs, but he still kept his cool. He wasn't particularly relaxed, but didn't freak out either, apart from leaving a few, erm, "calling cards" on the street. I was very proud of him when we got back to the farm. I also kept chipping away at his mane, and it's starting to come together.

Sunday was... less successful. I tried to work on Liberty stuff and found that we have some significant holes there, especially in the forehand yield. He tends to walk backwards and sort of sideways instead of a nice clean yield. It's definitely something to improve on. And trying a figure-8 at liberty did not go well. At all. He does the pattern perfectly OnLine, but suddenly forgets it at liberty. It probably didn't help that I was trying to do it in the arena instead of the round pen, which was kind of wet. I ended the session feeling kind of discouraged.

Yesterday was pedicure for the boys and they did great. BJ thought about throwing a fit but I had a discussion with him beforehand and he realized that behaving meant he could go back to grazing sooner. But they were almost overdue. I can usually count on 6-9 week intervals between trims, but this time 8 weeks (normal in late winter/early spring) was way too long. Sections of wall almost as wide as my finger got taken off and the change from before to after was pretty stark all around. Crazy weather evidently means crazy feet. And the line from Royal's abscess is almost gone. I forgot to get a picture of it, but it will probably get clipped off at the next trim. Which hopefully means it will be done forever.

Less than a month until graduation. I think see the light/train at the end of the tunnel!

Vet School It Is

So, I had a (mostly) quiet week and a half. It's been a tough time of tests and paper, so I haven't had a lot of time with the horses. But right now, as long as I show up every once and a while with cookies they're happy. A little obsessive and zombie-like, but happy.

 Coooooooooooookieeeeeeeeeees...

On Friday, I had some time between class and work, so guess where I was. I wanted to play with Royal on the 45' line in the hopes that he would not be all crazy-like. He was slightly more sane, but still wanted to zoom around like a maniac. He also has a habit of hitting the end of the line (usually close to the gate), interpreting that as a "come-in-to-the-center" signal, and trotting in all snorty. The progression of bolt-come in has made it had to progress. So, this time my strategy was to allow him to hit the line, come in for one or two seconds, and send him straight back out. We kept at this until he was able to canter around a complete circle without bolting or pulling on the line. Progress! 

I was working on getting him to go sideways over a small log when my barn owner started calling for me. Her old horse was choking and she didn't know what to do. I went to them and felt a hard lump in his throat, by the junction of the esophagus and trachea. I tried to message it down while my BO talked with the vet on the phone. The poor horse was miserable, coughing with half-masticated food coming out of his mouth and nose. The vet said to keep trying to push the block down and help it break up. For an hour and a half, we keep rubbing the old guys neck, trying to break up the block and help him swallow. It seemed to work; the lumps went away and he seemed more comfortable.

At this point, I would love to stop here and say the horse got better, thanks to our intervention. Unfortunately, that was not the case. My BO had to call the vet out later when the horse stopped getting better. It turns out we did move the blockage... down to the entrance to the stomach. The vet had to pass a nasogastric tube and manually break up the blockage. In addition, he had aspirated some of the food, giving him a high chance of pneumonia. He's better now, but it could have been really bad.

The other vet came out the next day for the second half of spring shots, so the boys got jabbed. BJ was good, but Royal threw a conniption fit while he was tied up. Great. He's been so good about it, so I haven't really had to teach him tying etiquette yet. That may change. He also did okay with the shots after I played with him a bit. Luckily, it was just vaccinations and nothing else. No sedations or drugs to mess with his head.

Pictured: Not Royal

But the whole choke event basically made up my mind. I felt so powerless, but also that what I was doing was the right thing. I know I want to do this sort of thing for a career, so for now, it's vet school or bust. I don't know how I'll get there or where I'll go, but I'll make it work. Somehow.

Speaking of vet stuff, Royal's face keeps getting better.

But, he likes to keep life interesting. I found this, probably gotten during a fight with one of the other geldings. No broken skin or tenderness, and I think the hair will grow back fairly quickly

Never a dull moment.

Today Is A Blue Day. No - Orange. Red!

Title inspired by Robin Williams.

The crazy weather is showing no signs of stopping. We've gone from hot and humid to windy and rainy. Royal keeps shedding, albeit at a reduced pace. We haven't had much time to do anything major lately in what has almost been a comedy of errors. Last Saturday, I went out with the intention of doing some finesse, but one of the barn owner's horses was sick, and she wanted my advice. I suppose my experience makes me a pseudo-expert and I was eager to lend a hand. The poor guy had a weird range of symptoms (sweating on his side and flanks, a fever which turned into a temperature worryingly below normal, and just not feeling well), but it didn't seem like anything serious. However, by the time we had taken his vitals and consulted with the vet, I had to leave to get ready for work. Royal was most good and patiently waited while we fussed over the other horse, with one mini-fit. Sunday, just as I was ready to go out to the farm, my grandmother came over and stayed for an hour and a half. Which meant I had very little time to do anything at the farm. I decided to try playing with him on the 45 foot like out in the back paddock. Now, Royal has two modes on the 45: good and responsive or berserk.

 Guess which one he was on Sunday.

 It started out well enough. The trot circles were lovely, but as soon as I asked him to canter, he took off. Right into a deep patch of mud. He lost his footing and his hind legs went flying out to the right. He basically sat down like a dog before popping back up. He seemed no worse for wear, so I did lots of calming exercises with him at the trot (going up and down mounds and sideways to a tree). He had a bit of heat in his hinds so I have him some bute and a massage and made sure his legs were cool before putting him back in the pasture. He was a bit subdued, though. I think he tired himself out.

 Tuesday, I set up a small grid in the indoor; basically a ground pole 9' from a small jump and 9' to a another ground rail. We just did that as a free jumping exercise, which went pretty well. He was a little confused about how to negotiate the ground poles, but the point was to let him figure it out. Didn't have to be pretty or perfect. But I noticed he had this funny scab on his face, near his eye. He seems to get something like this every year. I think he gets so itchy from shedding that he rubs his face raw. But I noticed another scab on his jowl, which was much bigger. I picked off the scabs, put some neosporin on the wounds, and hoped for the best. Totally forgot to get a picture of it though.

Friday, I tried (again) to help him get over his fear of the Blue Blanket of Death and once again felt unsuccessful. It's very frustrating because just as we get to the mythical "good note"  to quit on, something happens and everything goes wrong. He gets really scared of the blanket all over again, and I get really annoyed. So, I'm still at a loss for how to proceed with this. And, to make matters worse, his face wounds were all red and inflamed looking. I tried to put more neosporin on them, but they were so ugly looking. And I STILL forgot to get pictures! Argh! Epic fail day.

Today was better (I had to work all day yesterday). I want to do some jumping, both as a stress releaser and to test the grid from Tuesday. At first it looked like that may not happen, since he was TENSE. All the horses on the property were talking, for no discernable reason, and the arena was creaking. It took quite a bit of ground prep before I felt he was safe to ride, and a lot of stretching undersaddle before he was safe to jump. Once he was, it was awesome. It was still a tiny little jump, so I was able to focus on my position. I've heard pretending you're trying to show someone watching from a distance the bottom of your boots, and it seemed to work, judging from the lack of noise being made from my saddle and boots. It worked at both the trot and canter, although the canter had a few take-off bobbles. Again, the jump was tiny, so we were okay. I felt good to quit when we had two perfect jumps at the canter.

And the best part? His face looked better! The inflammation was mostly gone and it looks like they'll heal well.

Yeah, yeah, laugh at the weird scissor work. I didn't want any hair in the wound, so I had to take precautions. And it appears to have worked. So, I think we'll be okay.

Spring Break: Now With 73.6% More Spring!

Well, that was, surreal.

We had freakishly gorgeous weather all week. Even Monday (the "crappy" day) was amazing by March-in-Minnesota standards, and Royal molted all week. It's almost too nice, and I'm expecting the other shoe to fall soon...

Monday it was "cold" (60s) and rainy, and of course Royal took full advantage of that:

He looked so proud of himself when I got him out of the paddock. It's hard work finding the muddiest of the mud, I suppose. I managed to get him somewhat cleanier...

The dark patches are wet hair; apparently the mud was REALLY wet. After this we went ground-driving on the road, which he seemed to find interesting. We haven't done any ground driving in a while, and both of us were a little bit rusty. He still found the area by Needledick's house scary though. I can't say I blame him, since there are scary noises coming from there all the time. Other than that, he did very well.

Tuesday I attempted to do some one-rein riding/prep for bridleless, but that didn't turn out well. I was already in something of a bad mood, and Royal feeds of my moods like crazy. It didn't help that the birds had returned to the arena and were making a lot of noise. Eventually I gave up and took him out on the dirt road. He was a little jittery, so I asked for a trot which turned in a canter. I threw caution to the winds and asked for a hand gallop, and he obliged. He went for a while, before I asked him to slow down and turn around. And run like hell, which he did. Damn that horse is fast. After that, we were able to focus on some stuff in the arena.

Wednesday I decided to torture BJ with some grooming and mane-taming. Which turned out okay. He didn't shed as much as I thought he would, but he was fairly tolerant of my fussing around. Cutting his mane didn't look as good as I hoped (he was kinda squirmy) but it was alright.

I messed with Royal after that, cutting his mane as well. But I discovered a bit of a problem: his mane is REALLY thick in the middle of his neck, around three times as thick as the ends. So no pictures until I get done thinning that section out, which is a very slow process. I'm using the Lynn Palm method of "pulling" the mane, which doesn't seem to bother him too much. But it can't be done in just one session, so I'm going slowly and it's improving. But if I ever get in a financial jam, I could probably sell his hair for something.

Thursday was JUMPING DAY! I began with a lot of ground prep since we haven't done any jumping in the past couple of months. I also had an idea about helping Royal conquer his fear of tarps and stuff on the ground. I thought I was going pretty basic with the Blue Blanket, but it occurred to me that maybe I haven't gone basic enough. So I set up two poles about two feet apart to simulate a ditch. And even that got the hairy eyeball for a second before he hopped over it. For riding, I set up our favorite pole-to-crossrail and a 2-foot single. The actual fences went well (I think I'm getting over my initial nervousness that usually comes with jumping), and I recreated the "ditch," which got a halt with hairy eyeball. Back up, try again with a gargantuan leap over the teeny "ditch." It took a couple more times, before he skipped over it like it was barely there. I think we're getting there.

Friday I had to meet with someone for a while before I could go to the farm, so I only had a little time to play with Royal before I had to go to work. I tried to play with yielding to pressure on the hind legs. He's still pretty iffy on that, which he demonstrated with a lot of kicking and deer-in-the-hindlights expressions. He improved a bit and on Saturday we were able to play a bit with the Blue Blanket. This time the strategy was just to let him retreat as much as he needed and figure it out for himself. He still seems no more comfortable with it, but eventually he'll get it.

Sunday was more Game of Contact, and he is really improving. We're steadily progressing into Stage 3 and he's getting it. He still trying to yank the reins out of my hands at first, but I can really feel him start to hold the contact and drive from his hind end. My posture is also starting to improve, if I can remember everything. Another ride on the road in the sun to close out what has been the best Spring Break I've ever had. I wished it could have lasted forever, but all good things must come to an end.

It was fun while it lasted.

Spring?

I'm expecting the weather forecasters to show up drunk soon.

I'm no closer to figuring out my career/life plan. I still can't quite let go of the vet path (dreams die hard, I guess), but I'm starting to pursue genetics counseling more. I'm still in the process of gathering information, but I don't really have any firm plans. Except perhaps that I should learn how to bartend.

But, onto to happier things: Royal! The last couple of weeks have been beastly in terms of tests and papers being due, so I haven't had a lot of time to play. But now it's SPRING BREAK and the weather is gorgeous. Like 50s and 60s gorgeous. Royal's begun to molt even more now, and all the fitness he built up during winter break has pretty much gone away. But he's gaining it back and learning the Game of Contact even better. We're starting to move from stretching to holding a steady frame, and he's starting to get it. We've had two sessions of frame, and in the first one, there was a lot of nervous chewing and snatching at the bit. I expected this, since he still has some baggage when it comes to bits and contact. It's not as bad as it used to be (where he would start threatening to rear if I picked up two reins) but I know it's still there. So, it took a while before he stopped being nervous and held the frame for a few steps. I was happy, and we went for a walk on the dirt road to cool down. Apparently, he finds the random patches of snow terrifying, so it was a slow process.

Today, it was even warmer (I ending up riding in a t-shirt!) and he was even better. Some nervousness at the beginning of the GOC portion, but eventually he relaxed and held the contact for a little while both ways. More happiness, more walking on the road, more spooking, and more bravery.

Life is good.

Where to From Here: Career and Life Edition

So, with getting told to take a hike by both vet and public health school, I've had to seriously start thinking about my career goals and options. I know I can apply for both again, but at this point, I have to be seriously practical about what paths I want to take and which I should take. If it were just a matter of being a vet, I would go for it, no questions asked. I would look for any vet related job, no matter how crappy or pig-related. I would apply as many times as needed to every single vet school in the country. And I would be a kick-ass vet. But there's just one thing. Actually two things.

1. A DVM degree has a minimum price tag of ~$200,000, when you add it all up. Tuition, books, living expenses, and interest. For a career that has a mid-to-high 5-figure salary. I look at that and go *gulp*. From the outside looking in, the vet schools seem to have the position of "you were smart enough to get in, you're smart enough to figure out how to pay it off." Maybe I'm wrong and they introduce you to the Magic Fairy Who Makes Your Student Debt Go Poof, but hearing new vets talk about $1200-2000 per month in student loan payments, I doubt it.

2. Job security. I think this is going to be a huge deal for my generation. Going through The Great Recession has given us a very cynical and sobered outlook on life, especially stability. We've seen people get laid off and lose everything, and most of us would like to avoid that, thankyewverymuch. It's also a fact of life that when times get tough, vet care for Fido/Fluffy/Dobbin take a backseat to things like paying for food and housing. I don't blame people for this, but it's also something I have to be aware of.

So, vet school is off the table, and the numbers for Public Health didn't look much better. Now I have to reevaluate, and figure out what exactly I want from a career.

1. Financial security/independence - this is a HUGE one. I want to be able to support myself and my animals very comfortably. I don't need anything luxurious, but I eventually want my own farm and to be able to go to clinics/competitions without worrying whether I can pay the rent/mortgage. And (most importantly) I want to be able to do so easily without having to rely on a second income. Right now, I only have three men in my family that I consider at least half decent, and the thought of becoming partnered with anyone who is anything like the others terrifies me. So, until I go through a couple decades of therapy, I'm swearing off any serious relationships and I never want to be dependent on a man's income.

2. Job Security - also HUGE. This goes hand-in-hand with #1, but I feel it deserves its own category. I don't just want a decent paying career, I want a decent paying career that is absolutely essential to the organization that contains it. The only way I want to involuntarily leave my job is if the entire department/organization disappears. This goes back to being a Millennial, but most of us have seen someone with a "safe" job get sacked. I also don't want to be dependent on grants. So many times research is used as a bargaining chip or an example of wasteful spending ("We're spending MONEY on research?! On things that will help people?! *faints*") I really don't want to have to constantly justify why my work is important and should be continued.

3. Mentally challenging/stimulating - I want boredom to be the exception rather than the rule. 'Nuff said

4. Helping Others - I want to be A Force For Good In The World, ideally. I want to help people and make their lives better. I couldn't stand sitting in a cube or behind a desk filing paper after paper long term. I want to do something that demonstrates a real tangible benefit.

So, what ideas do I have? Right now, the two leading contenders are pharmacy and genetics counseling. Both fulfill all the above criterion, and they're still related to medicine. Now the plan of action is to start exploring both of those, starting with the programs at the U. What kinds of schooling is needed, what the career outlook is, cost/income, if I have to take any other undergrad classes later, etc. Right now, I'm mostly focused on gathering information and finding a job after I graduate.

So many things to think about.

"Who Do You Have To [Bleep] To Get A Break In This Stinkin' Town?!"

Got a letter yesterday that I got rejected from the School of Public Health. Now what? I can't get a job. I can't even get people to agree to let ME pay THEM $30-45,000 a year, how am I supposed to anyone to agree to pay ME? What am I supposed to do? "Hi, I gave my university $50,000 and four years of my life and even grad schools who I offered to pay the equivalent of a middle-class salary think I'm worthless. Please give me a job and pay me in dollars."

Great.

Turning "Oh no!" into "Oh boy!"

Easier said than done, but we'll give it a shot.

Over the past couple of weeks, The Overarching Theme(tm) of our sessions has been trying to fundamentally change how Royal moves and how he perceives new things. Well, the second one has been The Over-Overarching Theme of our journey together, but now I'm really starting to focus on it. And, as you might imagine, it's kind of slow going.

The Game of Contact has really been an eye-opener for both of us. Royal's been getting a lot better at stretching, to the point were any slight pressure on the reins meaning streeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch, and he's gotten way better at holding it too. His whole way of moving has changed too, for the better. Even playing OnLine, he rocks back on his hindquarters, has smoother transitions, and moves a lot more fluidly. Seems all he needed was to learn he could do it. Last weekend, I tried moving from Phase 2 to 3 (frame), but that was not very successful. I was sharing the arena with someone who had two horses tied up along the east end of the arena, so I could only do a 20-meter circle, which was fine, until the other person started lunging one of her horses, and the other one started throwing a fit. Shaking her head, banging the tie rope against the wall, and making a big commotion about the fact that no one was paying attention to her. Poor Royal is already scared of the mare, and her tantrum only scared him more. I managed to quit on a somewhat good note (he held the frame and contact for two steps), but made a mental note to try that again only if I'm alone.

The other thing I'm trying to work on is getting Royal over his fear of texture changes on the ground, namely blankets and tarps. This is the one bugaboo I have not been able to solve, so I tried doing some clicker training with the Blue Blanket Of Death to see if that would help. It has, a little. He'll walk over it, but he's still very wary and snorty about it just being there. So, not really confidence. I've tried everything I can think of and I'm all out of ideas. I've e-mailed for some help and in the meantime, I'll keep going with the clicker training. We'll see what happens.

About the bonnet in my Jumper Chic post, it is actually a custom-made bonnet from Faibel Farms, and it was totally worth it. I'm worried that this very mild winter means that the bugs are going to be horrible, so I figured I should get a bonnet to help protect the sensitive one when we're riding outside and it should be royal blue. Unfortunately, royal blue fly bonnets are hard to find, and the few that I did looked like something my cat threw up. So, I researched custom fly bonnets, and Kristina at Faibel was the only one with reasonable prices (way less than $100!) and the ability to have a royal blue base. So, a very pretty Christmas gift for me and Royal, which I think will come in very handy. The ears are a bit large now, but I swear Royal's ears shrink in the winter, so I'll see how fit when it gets warmer. But for now...

Bat Horse! Doesn't he look cute?

Winter Blues

Actually, this winter has not been all that bad. We only had a few days of curse-inducing cold, but other than that, it's been bizarrely warm. I haven't been able to enjoy it very much since I've been back in school (last semester, booyah!). But I've still done some fun stuff.

Royal and I have been playing with the Game of Contact, and so far it's been going well. I had to get a new bit (current Confidence Snaffle was too small and the Comfort Snaffle too thin), and Royal appears to be adjusting well. He still goes best in the Cradle, but seems okay with the current one. But I have discovered that he LOVES to stretch... for a couple of steps. We didn't go through the whole "Reins are short, what to do?" phase I saw with the other new horses. Every single one got stuck and had to be helped through it gently. Not Royal. He took the ground prep that we spent so much time on and went nuts with it. No stickiness, just stretch, stretch, streeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch. For a step, or two. Then he tries to turn into Royal the Giraffe again.

In the past, this would have frustrated me greatly. Damn it, why don't you get it! But Royal's moved like a giraffe on crack for nearly 15 years; I'm not going to change that in a few sessions. It's going to take time, which is fine with me. I have become a little quicker to pick up the contact after he bobs back up and today that seemed to make a difference. It was a bit harder since we had to share the arena with a mare. She wasn't in heat but that doesn't stop Royal from obsessing over her. But, in the end, he held a nice stretch at the trot for 5 steps, and that was a good note to quit on.

I was able to do something I've been meaning to do since October and buy a photo from the MN Hunt Cup. I liked some of them, but one really stood out (credit to Cynthia Fleishman Photography).

I think it's a good one. Royal looks happy and interested, my leg is somewhat stable, and I'm not pulling a hugely weird face. Good times.

Jumper Chic

Too busy for a full post (back in school, eep!) so I'll just post this:

Royal with his custom-made fly bonnet. I'll have to trim the ears down, but I think he looks so cute! My matching obsession continues.

I'd Take A Carrot Like This Back To The Store

I promised myself I wouldn't do it. I already had a perfectly good carrot stick and not everything has to match. So no, I wouldn't do it. Nope. Not happening. No.

But I couldn't help myself.

A BLUE carrot stick? My word! But I just had to have it. I think it's part of the fun of horse-ownership, matching everything you can. Most of my brushes aren't royal blue, but everything else can be. Why not? I had a coupon and I can use my blue string to make everything really coordinated.

They really put a lot of work into it. Even the divots in the handle (for grip) are Parelli horse heads. And of course "Parelli" is emblazoned all over the thing.

I still think it looks cool.

I haven't had too many chances to play with it. I've been feeling sick for most of this week. On Monday we did some jumping and went for a walk on the road. The deer carcass was gone, but Royal still gave that area the stick eye. Tuesday was really warm (50!) and the horses were sweaty just from standing around. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were freezing cold and I couldn't stand being outside for more than a few minutes. Where did winter come from? Saturday was better. My Game of Contact DVD set come earlier in the week, so I'd been watching that and get lots of ideas for things to try. But Royal made me eat some humble pie.

Often, the things I think are going to take us a long time to figure out often only take a few minutes and the thing I think will only take a few minutes take a few hours. Such is life, and I still have not learned my lessons well. I started off doing some bit isolation with Royal (teaching him to stretch down into the bit) on the ground, and about thirty seconds in, we both hear a crack. Oh no, not Needle-Dick! Yes, and he was just getting started. For the next two hour, echoing cracks sounded throughout the arena as I tried (and mostly failed) to convince Royal that the world was not ending. It took about an hour and a half before he calmed down and realized that bit = stretch. No riding, as I wanted to quit on a halfway sane note.

Today my friend came out to the farm to meet Royal and do some riding. Royal was very well behaved and even my dad's horse BJ got in on the action. Much fun was had by all (except for a bit of unpleasantness at the end) and I think I can make my last day of vacation count. And then, back to school. Sigh. :(

Some Bad News But We Muddle Through

Thursday was a bad day. The ice started sliding off the roof of the arena (something that usually happens in March), which Royal took as a Sign That The World Is Ending. In a lot of ways, I get it. The noises are random, both in timing and sound (everything from a soft "whoosh" to a loud crash that shakes the arena) and he can't see what's causing them. But another part of me is somewhat exasperated. These sounds happen every year and so far, the building has not come crashing down on his head. But there's nowhere else too play (too icy and slippery), so either we do nothing for however lot it takes for the roof to be snow-free (a month, in some cases) or try to do stuff while Royal works himself into a sweaty frenzy. And Thursday was the latter. Poor guy got so sweaty, but managed to be much calmer at the end of the session. I have some ideas of what do when it happens again (as it will snow again, and then it will get warmer), but I'm starting to get desperate.

I arrive home to an e-mail from the vet school, saying that I did not meet their standards and that they would not consider me further. :( So all that time and panic during the application process was a waste, not to mention the $200 it cost to apply. I was sad.



But then I kind of got mad. I mean, I know my GPA is lower than ideal, but I had 3 vets willing to write letters of recommendation for me, one of which is a professor at the vet school. I had plenty of experience, wrote a good personal statement, and obviously I know what the profession entails. So, my immature response is more along the lines of:



I'll do a review with them to see if there's any point to reapplying next cycle, or if they're not going to be able to see past the Semester From Hell. I really don't feel like wasting my time and money reapplying if they're still just going to laugh at me.

So, I was still feeling bummed on Friday when I went out to the farm, planning to go on a ride on the dirt road. But apparently he was still a little freaked out from the day before and was really acting up. Going north on the road, I could see a blue tarp on the side of the road with stuff on top of it. People are always throwing garbage on the side of the road, since it's a quiet little dirt road. They'll leave fridges, cabinets, paint cans, all because it's just so hard to dispose of it properly and safely. Scum. I couldn't see what lay in this particular tarp, because as we got closer, Royal started to act up. I went to bend him, and he stiffened and did a rear/spin maneuver that nearly flung me out of the saddle. I got off and sent him strongly backwards and sideways until he calmed down. I was able to get back on and we walked past the tarp, on the other side of the road and I still couldn't see what was in it. Shortly after that, the barn owner came out on her mare and we rode up the other side of the road together. When we got back to the tarp, she got her mare close enough to see that it was a CARCASS on the tarp! Namely a skinned deer and other parts of animals that she couldn't identify. No wonder Royal wanted nothing to do with it. Poor guy.

Today was a lot better. All the ice on the roof was gone, so no scary noises. Royal was a little apprehensive at first, but I focus him on other things, like pedestals and figure-8s at liberty. We also had a very nice bareback Passenger Lesson, with minimal tension. Life seems to be getting back on track.

Royal sports his fancy blanket on Tuesday.

Happy 2012!

I don't usually pay attention to the New Year thing, except that I have to write new dates and I invariably keep forgetting it until March. For me, the new year doesn't really start until spring, when winter gives up its stranglehold on us, things begin to grow again and my horse starts molting. It is very difficult to shout "HAPPY NEW YEAR" when I'm coughing up bits of horse hair, so I suppose I'm happy with the way things are.

I don't usually make *New Years Resolutions(tm)*, mostly because I never stick to them. But I'll make an exception this year. John Cheese at Cracked.com has a good article about why *New Years Resolutions(tm)* often fail and it's often because they're not specific enough or people don't really think about what they'll have to do to accomplish them. As a side note, I was a coffee shop on the 30th and saw that they had a chalkboard up where people could write their *New Years Resolutions(tm)* and there was an example of every potential pitfall on the list. "Eat healthier" "Exercise more" "Be together with Marta until 3012!" Sigh. People, specifics please.

Where was I? Oh yeah, I'm making an exception this year.

My resolutions for myself are:
-Cook at least 1 meal per week, something that involves mixing, or stirring, or grilling, or baking. I absolutely hate cooking and find it much easier to get something on the way home or stick something in the microwave, but I'll try some new stuff this year.
-Begin running in the spring/summer. I tried this last year and between the bizarre spring and horrid summer, never got the energy up for it. And I can't afford a gym membership or treadmill, so it's outside or nothing. Hopefully this year the weather cooperates.

For me and Royal
-Compete in the Starter division at the spring Otter Creek Horse Trials, and finish with a score
-Compete in the Beginner Novice division at the Roebke's Run Horse Trials and at Steepleview Horse Trials, and finish both with a score
-Take at least one cross-country jumping lesson
-Go trail riding more!
-Compete in at least 2 schooling shows
-Self-assess to Level 3 in On-Line, Freestyle, and Liberty and be well into Level 4 by the end of the year

All nicely specific and achievable, if I do say so myself. Here's to a new year of success!

Coming Back Together

In all the craziness in the month and a half leading up to finals, I had very little time to play with Royal. Little tiny sessions and walks here and there, but nothing substantive. I never like to start anything that I won't be able to come back to quickly, so I felt it was better to leave Royal to his own devices and start doing stuff again during winter break. Which is now. And something has changed, which is that Royal is FAT. Really, really FAT.

I don't have any good pictures of his front profile, but Monday night I rode him bareback and felt like I was straddling a redwood. Seriously, how does this happen? How does this horse go from needed a cup of corn oil per day to maintain his body condition (in addition to grain, hay, and plentiful pasture) to round on barely any pasture in a little over two months? My horse is weird.

So I've been working on getting us back into riding shape. All my riding muscles are out of whack, which makes it easy on both of us. Neither of us are particularity fit, so we're getting it back together. It's mostly been Freestyle riding and liberty, and Royal has not lost his good brain. I played with the Steady Rein concept (lift the rein in order to slow or ask the horse to stretch) and he picked that up well. He's not so good as maintaining the stretch, but we're getting there. Since the only place to ride is the arena, it can get pretty crowded in there quickly. We're all learning to make do.

I've also been practicing my two-point position. I want to have a steadier leg over jumps, if only to not distract Royal. This means lots and lots of practicing on the flat and over pole/cross-rails. It's fairly easy to maintain at the walk (although my calves are getting a serious workout), but a bit harder at the trot. It didn't help that my barn owner was also riding her mare (who was in heat) at the time, so Royal was very easily distracted. And it is somewhat had to steer in two-point. So, things to work on and improve.

It's dark this time of year, although we're had unusually warm temperatures and barely any snow, and what little we get melts almost instantly. No one is sure what to make of it, so we manage as best we can. But I am thankful for the indoor arena.

Merry Christmas/Happy Solstice

Well, finals are done, there's barely any snow on the ground, and it's time to party. Even Royal was festively dressed.

Not anymore though. Hasn't really been cold enough to warrant the blanket for a while.

Time to kick back and party.

In Lieu of an Actual Post

Pictures!

"Coooooooooooookies!"

Line on LF hoof from where the abscess blew out.

A leopard at the MN Zoo

Napping foal at the MN Zoo

Leopard at the MN Zoo

Three napping bears at the MN Zoo

My cat not happy about his newest fashion accessory

That's all for now! Back to studying

Been Busy

My life will just not slow down. Tests, papers, Thanksgiving, traveling, and general mayhem leave little time for Royal and even less for blogging. Nothing of interest to note on the Royal front, but I will try to continue my Adventures in Amateur Academia when I can. That may not be until after finals are over (gulp!).

In the meantime, one of my favorite Christmas songs:



Enjoy!