Rocky Mountain High

My boy is not only sore on his front feet, but also has some sort of goob monster in his eye.  Internally, I'm freaking out a little about his ouchiness, so to calm my nerves I'm going to blog about a trip I went on this weekend.

My fiancé and I live in Westminster, Colorado, which basically means we live in Denver.  I commute 5 days a week to my job in Aurora.  Anyone who knows Denver knows that means I have to take the dreaded 270 to work every day.  That's 1.5-2.5 hours of drive time every day, unless it's snowing, raining, or there was an accident - then it's longer.  Suuuuuck.  Shawn also drives a crap ton.  What all this driving means is that we don't like to battle the traffic to get out into the mountains on the weekend.  Shawn, who has lived in Denver his whole life, has never been hiking.  I'm not shitting you.  This is a true city boy.

So - we decided to plan a trip to the mountains.  We rented a picturesque, little cabin and this Sunday - Shawn, Fudge, and I all drove up to Leadville (the highest elevation city in the U.S.).  On our way up to the cabin we stopped at a reservoir/valley that I named Shawn's Valley, but who's actual name is Clayton Gulch Reservoir.  I like my name better.

Mountain pug

Once we got to our cabin, we realized that the pictures used to advertise for it weren't exactly truthful.  Little did we know that we were about 100 feet from the highway.  There were also 3 other cabins right near ours.  How very rustic… Regardless, it was beautiful scenery and the cabin itself was as comfortable as a cabin could get.

Pioneer folk

Cold Cabin Pug

ROWWWWWWR!

The next day I awoke to possibly the most peaceful morning (see above two pics), read my book, and then made breakfast with my bubba man.  Fueled up, we went for a hike around the difficult to locate and navigate Turquoise Lake.  The lake was beautiful, and the weather was perfect.

 We spent the rest of that day napping, reading, walking Fudge, building and tending a fire, and just enjoying the cabin.  It was a super nice two day sojourn into the woods; one that I think we'll be repeating.

Rocky Mountain High - Colorado!

Red-headed Girls Can't Jump

Get it?  ;)

Gavin and I have had a couple rides out at the new barn.  Sadly, there aren't any mirrors (which help me gauge exactly how we're doing), but there are LOTS of jumps.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, Gavin and I have been trot/canter transitioning over ground-poles and then cantering over them after the transition.  It sounds ridiculous, but it has been REALLY fun for me.  It sounds ridiculous, because it sounds like nothing.  But to me it's not nothing, and I can tell by Gav's ears that it isn't nothing to him either. 

What I like the most about it is that it makes my brain switch gears.  Normally my brain is like "frame, frame, frame, movement, movement, movement, is his tail swishing? Does he hate his job?  Was that circle more like an egg shape?  That was definitely an egg.  Shit, another egg. Inside leg, outside rein.  Wait - is that too much rein.  God I'm a pussy with the outside rein.", but when you put a cross-rail out in the arena, Gavin goes to it like a heat-seeking missile!  And my brain goes "FUN!!! but also sorta scary".  So I stop thinking about the above mentioned egg-shaped circles, and start thinking about making it over this three inch pole lying on the ground. 

And, I'm proud to announce that yesterday I was riding Gav with my friend Laura and his gelding BFF, Sterling, and we started off with the trot-canter transitions and ended up doing the transitions, followed by a straight canter over a baby cross-rail.  I'm talking like 6 inches off the ground!  He did great!  He's not particularly careful with his feet, but luckily he doesn't spook or freak if he knocks stuff down.  We just go about our business.  And once we moved up to the six-inch baby cross-rail he didn't hit it at all, and did sorta-kinda hop over it.

Anyways - I'm having fun, and looking forward to learning more about jumping.  Now to find someone who wants to teach me more about it... :) 

The Beastie Boys Move







Gavin at his new home

Gavin and his bff (Sterling) moved barns this weekend.  It's a tricky thing, moving barns.  First, you have to say goodbye to your dear friends who are staying at the barn (believe me, there will be a couple faces I will miss!), you have to give notice and explain (or at least give some explanation as to why you're leaving), and also coordinate the move.  The move was made extra hard for us because the Denver area has been hit by Vesticular Stomatitis which causes ulcerations, blisters, and sores on the inside of a horses mouth, sheath, and coronary band.  It isn't deadly, but it isn't a good thing for a horse to catch. 

So, why did we move?  Several little reasons that added up to a move. 

1. The new barn itself isn't closer mileage-wise, but it's easier to access (especially for my friend Laura). 
2. It has trail access just down the road, and it itself isn't on a busy road, which means walking the horses on the street isn't a big deal
3. The property itself is smaller, but very tidy, well kept, and with great footing in the big outdoor arena
4. It's $70 cheaper a month!  And for a girl on a budget that's a big deal!!

Sterling, with his dad, Eric

The boys moved like a dream (I swear, Gavin takes pride in trailering as well as he does).  They unloaded like gentlemen and walked around the property like they'd been there a hundred times!  The day after we moved in, they even walked in to the suuuuuuper scary indoor, cement wash rack (raised, and three sided). 

 

I'm going out tonight to lunge Gavin.  I'm expecting it to not be a big deal at all, since he's been acting like a totally cool customer for the last few days, which happens to be just the way I like him!

Super model horse ;)

Bad, bad blogger

I admit it.  I'll take full responsibility.  I abandoned this blog just when it was getting good.  And for no good reason.  I mean, I had my reasons, but they weren't good.  My descent into blog silence went a lot like this:

1st.  I want to interact with other like-minded horse people so I'll start a blog
      - queue going blog crazy for awhile.  

2nd.  I want to put my horse in to full time dressage training for a month
      - queue crazy schedule surrounding pony and dressage training

3rd.   I want to lazily ride my horse around the arena because I'm  super, super burnt out
      - queue lazy riding, but lots of canter work that wound up being super beneficial

4th.   OH MY GOD one of my best friends bought a horse and moved him to my barn.  I have my own personal pony club!
      - queue total blog silence

The last two months or so have been wonderful for Gavin and I.  The one month of dressage training that fried my brain also gave Gavin and I a great base to work off of.  It really improved my connection with him, and made us a stronger team.

As I said above, my friend moved into my barn with her green-but-good TB-Connemara cross (who's name is Sterling).  Gav and Sterling got along so swimmingly that they were moved in to the same pen, and now live together in total gelding love.

Laura and I ride a lot together, and it's helped me just having a friend there.  Because she's always working on something new with Sterling, I find myself trying things with Gavin that I wouldn't normally (I'm not really what one might call a bold rider).  This doesn't mean I've gone crazy, but Gavin has done so much canter work that he's a totally different horse at that  gait then the last time I blogged.  We've also done some canter departures over a ground pole, which I hear is the very first baby step to jumping.  As someone who knows zilch about jumping, I'm fine with just cantering over a pole for now.  I'm very proud of Gavin though, because he's always game and he's brave to whatever I ask of him.

Anyways - I don't have tons to report, but my hope is to start chronicling my journey with Gav again.  :)  I'm going to try to get a video to post soon so you guys can see our progression.

Also - and unrelated to horses - I got engaged just over a month ago!  Perhaps my next post will be focused on that.  :-D

Barn Besties

Gavin checking the signage out
 

There isn't anything a whole lot better than barn friends.  Two of which I've recently acquired - one of my besties from college, Laura, just bought and moved her TB/Connemara X to my barn, and I've buddied up with a girl named Hannah.  It's been great!  I love being able to ride in an arena with a friendly face - someone to discuss any issues with, someone to laugh with when one or both of our beasties act up, and someone to meet-up with on specific days (keeps me accountable to coming out).  I've been a little bit absent in the blogosphere, mostly because I've been super active in my Denver pony-o-sphere.  Riding with peeps (and staying out way later because I'm just sitting there chatting), going to Buck Brannaman clinics (FUN!), tack-hunting, pony-bathing... I'm loving every minute of it.  And here are some pics to go along with the new horse social life.  :)

Gavin and Keystone (Hannah's pony) grabbing a bite to eat... with their bridles on! *GASP*
 

Gavin and I showing off our fine ass-ets and pony tails ;)

Laura on her new boy Sterling

My bitchy resting face in full effect, but the boys look cute!

 

Gavin and I doing our best impression of The Horse Whisperer
 

Completely unrelated to horses - me, Shawn (my guy), and my bro and his fiance!

Magical Blog Hop: Continuation School

It's expensive.  It can be frustrating.  It's time-consuming.  Did I mention it's expensive?  So why do I continue to ride?

I can't say what first attracted to me to all things equine, but I think I have a fairly good grasp of why I've stayed so close to this sport, culture, way of life, whatever your want to call it.  Horses calm me, they inspire me, they make me brave, they make me think. 

I'll admit it - I'm a little bit of a cell-phone addict (more like technology in general).  I can't help but check my email, my facebook, my bank accounts, the weather, my texts multiple times a day.  It's not that anything on my phone is that exciting, it's that I can't really slow my brain down.  And so my brain is constantly searching for something to chew on (case in point: on Sunday I had my laptop out, my work laptop running something, and a movie on... it was ridiculous).  A lot of times my brain "chews on" worry.  I'll admit it.  I worry.  A LOT.  Hell, I worry about my horse a lot.

But something magical happens when I get to the barn.  My brain stops chewing and instead it focuses.  When I'm with my pony, all there is is that moment.  I guess it's the idea of living in the present.  When I'm with horses I am present, and I finally can enjoy things in that moment.  I enjoy the briskness of a fall day.  I enjoy the balmy warmth of the summer nights.  I love the smell of hay while Gav is eating.  I love the light that shines through the barn.  I love curling my fingers around the reins.  I love the feel of a great canter depart, or the look of his hind legs crossing for a leg yield. 

I can't tell you WHY I experience this moment of "NOW" when I'm around horses, all I can say is that I do experience it.  And I feel like I'm sharing that experience with a great friend, and a great teammate, Gavin.       

Head Gear

I'm officially broke.  And I know just why:

1. Full time training in April for my pony (so totally worth it)
2. New helmet (my old one was infested with mice, and after I performed an exorcism on it it fell apart **the power of christ compels you, holy water splashed feverishly, helmet hissing and writhing**) -- I had bought the economy Charles Owen a month prior, but it just fit my head strangely (aka my head is oval shaped, and it's definitely more for the round-heads).  I have yet to return it (because I'm lazy and don't want to go to UPS), but in its place I purchased an IRH ATH SSV from eBay.  It was $70 cheaper on eBay than SmarkPak, but of course I was risking whether or not it'd fit.  Luckily, it does.  :)
3. New bridle -- as I'm pretty sure you're all aware, SmartPak had a massive bridle sale to clear out for their mono-crown bridles coming in later this summer.  I bought the WellFleet Double Raised Padded Snaffle in both cob and horse (Gav is a hard fit, but he was definitely cob with this bridle).  Again, I've been too lazy to go to UPS quite yet, but it's going to happen.  I need the credit on my freaking credit card!  It's a flash, which Gavin hasn't used previously, but he's going well in it and it's a beautiful bridle!
4. Another Rambo flysheet.  Because Gavin nearly destroyed his last summer.  I somehow managed to sew the old one back together about 10 times last summer, but I wouldn't exactly call the job professional (imagine white thread hanging everywhere).  He's currently wearing the old, dilapidated one, but who knows how long it'll last - and when it dies, I need to have a replacement on hand since he gets such bad sweet itch.

Gav in his new big boy bridle

What does this mean for May?  It means I can't buy shit!  I'm okay with that.  :)  I think I have everything I need.  Except for maybe some summer gloves (I've been using Lowes gardening gloves since last summer)  They work, but I don't think they're quite show appropriate. <-- and this is how I become broke, thought patterns like this.

The following pics are totally random, but I'd never been to a Dave and Buster's until recently.  It was fun!  Here's a couple of pics from the gaming extravaganza!

Check out those guns ;)

We're nerds, but we have fun together :)