NJ & PA Road Trip

Spending time in NJ is like a time warp for me - when it's over and I'm back in Boston, it feels like it never even happened. A couple of the reasons I love being home is because: a) it's 24/7 horses and b) there's no homework. Also, I love seeing my parents. It's amazing how much better you get along with them once you aren't living under their roof, isn't it?

While I was home, I rode a 3-year-old by L.A. Baltic Inspiration, a very talented Adult Hunter and a couple fantastic trail horses. Remember in my previous post I mentioned a "surprise"? Well, my mom and I took a road trip (one of our favorite pastimes) to PA on Saturday to look at a 6-year-old buckskin Quarter Horse (gasp!). Zeke was well worth the drive. To my disbelief, he had a very pleasant disposition and moved very correctly and even had some spring to his gait (again, gasp!). As of now, we are planning to head out to PA again sometime in December to take another look. On Saturday, we weren't able to jump that many jumps or that big because the ground was very frozen and the barn didn't have an indoor. So, the plan for December is to take him to another barn with an indoor where we can see him jump a course of 3'6". I'll definitely keep you updated.

And the award for Best Trail Horses goes to... Storm and Thunder. Storm, aka Black Velvet, is on the right, Thunder is on the left and that's my mom in the middle. In need of the perfect trail horse? Buy a Tennessee Walking Horse.

Talk to you soon,
EDV

Home for Thanksgiving

Honestly, I've been counting down the days until Thanksgiving since the beginning of September and now it's FINALLY here! I drove from Boston to NJ yesterday (Tuesday) morning and will head back sometime on Sunday. While I'm home I'll be doing lots of riding and I'll be sure to get some horsey pictures to spice up Breeches n' Boots. Also, I'll have a very interesting and surprising post for you on Saturday but it's a secret... so be sure to check back on Sunday.

Have a Great Thanksgiving!
EDV

Ride Smart, Ride Safe

When you are at a barn (riding, working or just hanging out) it is important to always be aware of your surroundings. That means that along with paying attention to what you and your horse are doing, you must ALSO pay attention to what others around you are doing. This is important for everyone's safety but it is also important for a much simpler reason. It's important to be courteous to those around you. For example, if another rider is schooling her horse over a specific jump and you have just entered the ring, it is polite (and greatly appreciated) if you stay out of the other rider's way. This doesn't mean that you can't ride your horse until the other rider is done, just be aware of you surroundings (in other words, don't stop directly in front of the aforementioned fence to tighten your girth when the other rider is trying to jump it).

Another important thing to remember is that each and every horse (no matter how well-trained) needs their personal space. What I mean is... if there are several horses being ridden at one time be careful not to ride too close to the other horses. Also, don't ride directly at another horse. In the horse world this is considered rude and a very beginner mistake (not to mention that it can be extremely dangerous to both you and the other rider!).

Just a couple things for you to think about. Remember... everyone loves a smart rider.

Talk to you soon,
EDV

A Balancing Act

My second-to-last semester at Northeastern has almost come to an end (only three weeks left) and it has definitely been one of my toughest semesters. Not isolated to just the schoolwork, it has been a balancing act between classes, riding and a part-time job. I have two classes a day Monday through Friday. I ride on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. And I spend about 10 hours a week working for my part-time job (admittedly, I do most of the work from my own living room but I manage to make it into the office every Friday). Now remember, you also have to factor in time for homework, laundry (where does it all come from?), picking up the apt., eating, sleeping and the boyfriend (for the first month...or two, he definitely got put on the back burner - luckily for me, he is extremely loving and understanding).

During the first half of this blogging project I only posted once or maybe (if you were lucky) twice a week because I was so S.T.R.E.S.S.E.D. I was still working out all the kinks in my schedule, trying to fit way too much into a 24-hour day. Fortunately, I think I've figured it out - it's called compromise. For example, if I spend eight hours at the barn then I only have 16 hours left. Take out another eight for sleeping (sorry, that's non-negotiable) and I'm left with only eight for classes, homework, boyfriend, eating and all those other annoying musts (laundry comes to mind).

So... the answer is compromise. Now, I spend four to five hours riding (including driving time) and more time on all those other, less fun tasks (except the boyfriend - he's a lot of fun).

I found this article from the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar online. It's also about the balancing act, but from another perspective. This article focuses more on getting your riding-fix through a college equestrian team.

As this semester winds down (and I'm swamped with research papers and final projects) I have to decide the fate of the spring semester (AKA my final semester at Northeastern!). Should I cut back on one or both of my extracurricular activities to have more time to enjoy my last few months before I'm swallowed whole by the real world? Or should I keep on keepin' on? Hmmm... something to think about.

Talk to you soon,
EDV

SMC Update

I realize that I haven't mentioned SMC lately so here's a quick update:

Zipi got sold (he left last Tuesday) and Zee has a deposit on her and is waiting to be vetted (keep your fingers crossed). Fitz, Tara and Bill (among others) are still around but have a had a decent amount of interest in them. A young girl came out last weekend to try Tara and it went really well. Unfortunately, Tara has a special shoe due to the abscess she had a month ago and the potential buyers want to see her go after she gets her normal shoe back on. Also, because of the shoe I haven't been jumping her and, obviously, they want to see her jump before they buy her.

So... lately, I've been riding Tara and Bill with a couple extras thrown in here and there. With Tara, I am working on her responsiveness by doing lots and lots of transitions. Sometimes she evades me by tossing her head so I've been working on that, too. At the moment, she is probably my favorite to ride and she also has lovely ground manners (nothing irks me more than when people let their horses walk all over them).

With Bill, I've been working on getting him softer in the bridle as well as through his whole body. When I first started riding him my biggest issue was his complete lack of suppleness. It was like riding a bus (absolutely no bend through his body - not completely his fault). I have to say, he is slowly growing on me and, as of the past couple rides, is using himself much better.

Tara should be getting shod sometime around Thanksgiving so I will keep you updated and I'll let you know if any other horses get sold.

Talk to you soon,
EDV

Artistic Photo

I can't think of anything worthwhile to write about tonight so here's a picture to hold you over. Here's me being creative:

Also, check out Nancy Jaffer's photo gallery from the Syracuse Invitational horse show at EquiSearch.com.

Jumping Rider vs. Riding a Jumper

I found this great article on The Chronicle of the Horse's website. Linda Allen is an international show jumping course designer with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 1992 World Cup on her resume. She wrote, "Being A Jumping Rider Means More Than Just Riding A Jumper," for the February 23, 2007, issue. The Chronicle requires you to sign in so I can't give you a direct link but if you go to the website and click on "Between Rounds" you will find the article. She writes:

"The more I teach around the country and the world, the more obvious it becomes that there's a world of difference between being able to ride a jumper and being a jumping rider.

Let me describe what I mean: It might not take too long for someone to teach me how to drive a race car around the Indianapolis 500 track; but would this mean I could then race that car in even a moderately difficult race? No, I don't think so!

To not be a menace to myself, the car, and the other drivers, it would take years of practice and experience until I was truly one with the car. Results--and safety--depend on far more than just knowing how to steer, brake and change gears. Being a race-car driver means having finely tuned reflexes--the ability to feel the subtleties of when, where and how much to do things--under all the incredible pressures of a 200-mph race.

How similar this is to riding jumpers! Relatively quickly, one can learn the aids involved to negotiate a basic course on a well-trained horse. But becoming the kind of rider who allows the full talent of the horse to shine through and produces consistent results (without panicking, freezing or over-reacting when things get "interesting") is a completely different story. Natural talent-- in the rider, the horse or both--can help a lot, but even that cannot serve as a substitute for a lot of time in the saddle."

Allen goes on to talk about the importance of a firm horsemanship foundation, as well as, the need for short and long-term goals. I got a lot out of this article and I hope you do too!

Talk to you soon,
EDV