Hanging On

Since running is my only way to an endorphin high right now, I'm picking up the mileage and really starting to enjoy it. It's not that I'm going all that far--I'm just going farther than I was before. In fact, I'm probably still on track to run a 10k this fall. Go me!

I've considered trying to run Izzy alongside me, but since our endurance dreams are probably still a ways off, I haven't tried it yet. Besides, I know two little dogs who would be so very jealous.

And yes, they got even muddier after this shot was taken. Someone thought it was a good idea to take a massive flying leap into the middle of the mud puddle.

He was wrong.

Izzy continues to be fat and happy. I've never seen her this, er, substantial before.

Despite all that, she's still looking pretty good. All gleam and gloss and virtually no hard work. She's living the American Horse Dream.

Here's a video from today.

Honestly, I see progress even from the video I posted yesterday, so that's good news.

9 days to riding time.

Izzy on Video

You can call this a slow news day. I wormed Izzy this morning. She hates being forced to eat stuff, so she kept shaking her head to keep me from getting it in her mouth. It wasn't good training, because she was so ridiculous that I just kept laughing. We finally did get it done and she did swallow the whole thing. Go mare!

To add some visual interest, here's Izzy's last dressage ride. I think it was Saturday... We have some riveting trot serpentines going on.

And some trot canter transitions. She looks good. Wish I was riding.

Trail Walking

That is our big exciting activity for now. I lead, Izzy follows, we explore.

Here we are leaving the barn, headed to the road.

We go down the road... at low traffic times, because the speed limit is like 50, most cars go a lot faster than that, and there is almost no shoulder to get off on. Whee!

Then we turn off the main road onto the trail to the ditchbank.

Here we are! The canal is huge and fast and you could drown in it easily, so I try to stay on the side of the road that is away from it.

Then, part of the canal branches off. OMG! Water on both sides! This is always very exciting.

A back view of Izzy's lovely home. That pasture? All hers.

The wondermare herself.

Look! Ducks! Who knows what kinds of crazy things they will do?

We go down the little embankment and then continue around the hay field.

Down the weedy trail and through the gate...

Then we pass the pond. There's always lots of birds, sometimes even herons. Izzy is very suspicious of the lot of them.

All that's left to do is troop through the hayfield to go home.

It may not be the most exciting thing ever, but it sure breaks of the monotony of not doing anything else. You know. ;-)

Western Pony Meets Western Trainer

I'm casually hunting for the perfect western saddle for us. By casually, I mean I don't really have the money for it right now, but I'm exploring options and price ranges and trying to learn a little about brands and types and models. You know. The usual obsessiveness.

Last winter when we were playing western pony, I noticed that Izzy was very flat at the canter. I wasn't sure if it meant that her saddle was wrong or her balance was off, but it was probably also related to her teeth being all wonky. Anyways, I wanted to see her canter in that saddle today to see if correct teeth had changed anything. I finally finagled Terri, the western trainer, into riding her for a few minutes to see how things went.

Western pony! Izzy ambled around, lazy as could be.

Trotting! Despite how good they look in this picture, Izzy had a head flipping cow. I did not expect that, especially since Terri wasn't picking up much contact or really even asking her to do anything. I've seen Izzy do that under various circumstances, but my perspective was always from the saddle, so I could feel how to address the issue. I'm not familiar with this whole watching thing.

She was cranky, unfocused, and unwilling to be forward at that point, and neither Terri nor I wanted anyone to get hurt. Instead of trying to push her through it and see if she would make good on her threats, we came up with a new plan of attack.

Round pen! Ms. Mare didn't know what hit her. She got all gussied up and had to lunge like a western pony and pay attention. When she finally got the hang of that, the next stage began.

OMG long lining!! Yeah... basically, Terri wanted Izzy to work through her issues on the ground. Izzy was actually a really good girl for the most part. She learned not to ignore Terri and run through her aids and only had one mini meltdown. It was good to watch. Although Terri's style is a bit different than mine, she's very clear with pressure and release, so Izzy figured it out quickly.

All in all, it went well. I think it was good for Izzy and I was glad Terri was willing to work with her.

That said... I think part of the problem is that for 2.5 years, I was pretty much the only one who ever did anything with Izzy. Thus, she learned everything my way. There's nothing wrong with that, but everyone does things differently. Having so many different people work with her is probably good for her in the long run, but it also frustrates her. There isn't a lot of day to day consistency because it's always something new. She's doing well with S now that they're getting used to each other, but even that took time.

Poor mare. 13 more days til I can ride.

Plan of Attack

Look at the pretty pictures.

What do they have in common?

I have no leg. Yes, I'm a long-torso-ed person with short legs and that is a disadvantage, HOWEVER, William Fox Pitt has short legs for his height, too. That's not exactly holding him back.

If you examine my upper body position, it's not -that- bad. In fact, in mos pictures from this series, I look ok from the waist up. It's just that my legs are loose, pivoting, swinging, useless. I have strong legs (thank you running), but they aren't helping me ride.

Since I have nothing better to do, I'm plotting my return to riding. I'm still running just as much as I can, but I recognize that when I get back in the saddle, that won't be enough. Changes need to be made.

I'm starting to do pilates at home, which bumps my core strength workout frequency up. AND...

We're going to do no stirrup work. Hours and hours and hours of it. I haven't done it on Izzy at all. At first it was because she was too green and I didn't want to confuse her. She doesn't have that excuse now. Then it was because I was too nervous, too worried. I knew that my balance wasn't what it used to be and I was afraid I would fall off.

Funny thing. I fell off because I didn't practice. My legs weren't good and now I can't ride at all. That's over. In two weeks, I'm mounting up. There won't be stirrups on the saddle.* You're welcome, George Morris. More importantly, I need this. Izzy needs this. For us to gain confidence together now, I need to ride better. I need to be better. I'm going to step it up.

Next time a jumping photo series is taken of Izzy and I, I want to be proud of my position. I want to be riding well. More importantly, I want my ability to ride well to give confidence to both myself and my horse. Getting a saddle that fit us was step #1. #2 is learning to use the crap out of the saddle, and that's where we're headed.

*Ok, there might be stirrups the first day, since I'm thinking I'll take a western day to get my bearings, but then the drills begin.

Other Options

Despite my last post, Izzy is not just a treat-sucking western pony, much to her dismay.

She's doing dressage about two days a week, and in general, doing pretty well.

You see? Fat girl looks good. Also all English-y, for those of you who were afraid the dark side had overtaken me.

She and S have come to an accord, which makes for much smoother riding.

I don't really have a whole lot to say, other than it's killing me to keep watching. I WANT TO RIDE!!!

2 weeks, 3 days til I can try again.

Here's a video of their latest ride. It's just a short with mostly canter work, but Izzy is so nice and smoother. :-) Good mare.

I'm happy to say that the weather is just about perfect here--clear skies, high 80s, light breezes.

I take it back. It is perfect here. So glad I'm not stuck in the nasty heat wave the rest of you are having.

A Pony, A Tack Whore, The Internet

I didn't go out to the barn yesterday, which was a bad idea. I spent all day moping around and watching tv and wishing I could ride. Instead of talking about that, I bring you Izzy eating a treat:

Really people--it's that good.

The other exciting thing is that the being of our western blinginess has arrived. In typical western redneck (not that I'm bitter) fashion, the previous owner did not take care of it, but 8 thick coats of oil later (not exaggerating), it feels great.

Mmhmm. One ear headstall with silver crystal-encrusted conchos. Some of the crystals are missing, so I'll probably swap them out for new ones and I might replace the chinstrap. The saddle hunt is still on. Sadly, the craigslist beauty sold, but I'm still considering our options and hunting around.

Maybe we'll be in a parade!! I mean, this is Idaho. I can't imagine you have to do anything very impressive to get in to one.

Back in Work II

Me, not Izzy.

I'm still banned from riding and eating for another few weeks, but I'm finally able to start exercising again. Yay for an outlet for nervous energy!!

Since I'm regaining use of my left arm slowly, I'm finally able to walk my dogs by myself. That's a huge help, because my little buggers get batty -very- quickly if they don't get lots of regular strenuous exercise. I tried running them a couple weeks ago, and it didn't work. Too much pain.

Not so the past few days. My jaw has healed enough that it doesn't feel like it's going to fall off until I start breathing hard, so I can run about a quarter to a half of a mile, then walk, then repeat.

Because certain someones have a lot of energy to burn off.

I'm trying to look at this whole thing as an exciting new route to fitness--three weeks of eating right and weight loss, now three weeks to continue eating right while beginning to reincorporate exercise to build lean muscle. Then I can start riding (hopefully) and further the process. Hopefully, I'll look better in breeches, too.

It feels SO GOOD to move again.

Maybe the Liquid Diet is REALLY Working

I went garage sale-ing with friends yesterday. It was tons of fun, but one thing really stuck with me--a saddle.

Yeah. Very pretty western show type saddle, great condition, would fit Izzy well, great price... and a 15" seat. Remember, western saddles are measured differently than english saddles. The saddle we've been borrowing is a 16" seat and it works well for us.

I also found the lovely saddle posted on craigslist, and I really, really want it. It's just that I don't want to have a saddle that looks like a glorified butt ornament, if you know what I mean. Any western people opinions out there? Just how much different would it be?
For comparison, a shot of the borrow saddle, also offered for sale. Hm...

More Shopping

I sort of ran yesterday, then watched S ride Izzy again. It was lovely and their best ride ever, but I haven't got the pictures downloaded yet.

Let's just be honest: killing time is not my specialty. My specialty is getting crap done. Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of the whole healing process, there is precious little I'm allowed to get done.

I can, however, internet all I want.

Nothing worse for a tack whore than pure, unadulterated internetting time. Izzy is getting a new western headstall and I'm picking out special upgraded crystal studded conchos for it.

You won't even recognize us.

In related news, I would kill for a ride right now.