JUNE 2005

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June 28, 2005

Just got back from the barn a bit ago.  Since it was raining, I just did Justin's stretches, some fun ground training we've been working on (which he is brilliant at, I might add) and groomed him.  He just LOVES to be groomed.  He is the most appreciative, responsive horse.  He wants to be pet on the whole time you groom.  So, even while I'm picking out his feet, he curls his head around and snakes it over my back and just holds his head there while I pet his muzzle.  I have to hold his foot in my knees, pick w/one hand and pet him with the other.  He's just adorable.  Left the barn really missing the ride.  Didn't get to ride him on the weekend because of too much going on with show preparation.

Gave the girls a lesson on Saturday, then showed them the nifty ground training I've been doing with Justin.  Tried it with Romeo and he was so quick to pick it up.  It's so fun because it's an instant gratification thing.  Very fun and the horses really enjoy doing it.  The ponies have gotten so good about being braided.  They both looked spiffy, as usual, when I was done.   

Sunday was a very early day.  We pulled out of the barn at 6:00 a.m. and were the first ones on the grounds.  We found a nice big tree to park under and it provided great shade for us all day long.  Both ponies schooled very well.  Sarah showed in Student Equitation, Green Pony and VHSA Pony Eq.  Allie showed in Green Pony and the VHSA Pony Eq as well.  The funny thing was, Sarah didn't get diddly in the Student Eq Walk/Trot or the Walk/Trot/Canter/Test of Equitation class.  But she got a 6th in the Over Fences class.  Then, in a class of ten ponies, gets a 3rd in VHSA Pony Eq.  We were scratching our heads later wondering how you don't get a ribbon in Walk/Trot yet pull out a 3rd in a class where you are tested over fences and on the flat against more experienced girls and ponies.  In Green, Sarah was fourth, sixth and fifth on the flat.  We were extremely proud of Romeo.

Merlin is getting better and better.  Even got a flying lead change in one of his classes!  Allie won sixth on him in VHSA Pony Eq and in Green they were second and third over fences but didn't get a hack ribbon.  Another mystery since he typically wins great ribbons in the hack.  But, no worries, we know there's always next weekend for him to strut his stuff.

As always, we had a great time doing our show thing and had our share of laughs on our adventures to and from the show. 

Exhausting week already so I better bolt!

June 19, 2005

Phew!  Very good (and exhausting) horse-days since Wednesday.  On Thursday, I rode Justin, which I hadn't been able to do for nearly a week.  Needless to say, he was a little squirrelly.  After about twenty minutes of some bronc moments (nothing compared to what Buster used to do!), he finally settled and we ended up having a really great ride.

The following night, we had less 'play' and he got down to business sooner and the ride was fantastic.  Like all my rides on him, I do tons of circles, figure-eights, changes of direction and serpentines.  And before I even get on him, I do stretches on him in the stall.  After about a half-hour or more of the trot work (and I do make him go for a half-hour without stopping so he is really getting fit), I felt able to canter.  He played a little and squealed in the beginning, then settled into a nice rhythm.  When I broke back to the trot, he had this wonderful, loose, forward trot and was moving out so nice and long that I continued in that frame for a bit before I went to the walk.  I was so pleased with that ride.

Neat thing about the start of my ride, twin fawns walked across the field when I was on my way out there to ride.  Eventually, one laid down in the grass near the fence line to hide and the other hid behind a little tree.  It was amazing how they just disappeared, yet when I rode by, they were nearly in plain view.  Just cool how their little spots make them nearly invisible until you are right on them.  I ended up riding in a different part of the field because I didn't want to worry them.  Plus, I didn't see a momma with them and wasn't sure if she was completely gone from them or was waiting in the next field nearby.  Later, I saw one grazing near where the other was lying in the grass and then they were gone.  I hope they got reunited with their momma.

On Saturday, I came out again.  Same routine -- stretches in the stall then lots of bending work at the walk and trot.  This day, he seemed a little sore but I'm not surprised.  I didn't ride him as long as I did the day before.  At the end of the ride, I cantered and this was his best canter yet.  Less play, more forward and he felt stronger.

Back to Justin, I can remember when I cantered him the first time, he was so weak and the canter was so four-beated -- I was afraid to push him at all.  What I'm realizing now is that his stride has lengthened at the walk, he is getting more muscle definition and his muscles feel firmer to the touch and he's certainly strong enough to canter much better. 

I have a new found appreciation for riding in fields on uneven ground because that's what I've been doing with him.  Now I know what all these eventing people are talking about.  When I first started riding him, he stumbled so much (in good footing in a ring!) that it was actually hazardous.  His stifles seemed weak and his back-end would fall out often.  Now, when working in fields, he has to pick up his feet and adjust to terrain that is constantly changing.  Riding in a field that isn't newly mowed makes a horse go like he's trotting over ground pole after ground pole and sometimes as if he's trotting over a small cavaletti.  It has been tremendously beneficial and has really helped leg him up.

Alyssa came out with me yesterday and took some pictures of me.  I really appreciated that because I really don't have a lot of pictures of me riding.  She took the one I posted below on June 8 and I love that picture and stuck it on my visor in Snowy so when it is flipped down, I can be all sappy looking at his adorable face.

Afterwards, we went to the twins' barn to braid their ponies.  Got that done, then, went to Alyssa's barn to help her bathe her pony.  Since Alyssa was showing today, Father's Day, her family decided to take her dad out last night.  So, between running out of energy and time, I didn't get to braid her pony.  Thought I could do it at the show today and as usual, time just didn't lend itself to it.  That's why I have to do it the night before or it just won't get done!  Once the girls are able to braid on their own, I'll have some more bandwidth.

After dropping Alyssa off and getting home, I worked on Sabrina's webpage some more (a work in progress) and completely dumped all my files.  Managed to restore them and then didn't budge until I could get tech support on the line today.  Decided to update my own tonight and will tweak hers some more tomorrow.  But, if you're feeling nosey, you can check it out at www.nightsongfarm.com.  The navigational links are all goofed up and there are a slew of other things I'll fix but I can rest now knowing I have all my files restored!

Today started at 4:45 a.m..  I am not a morning person.  Ponies loaded up in a breeze and we were on our way.  Alyssa and her mom linked up with us on our way and off we were.  Once on the showgrounds (we were the first there), we began unloading the ponies and Romeo decided to unload himself before we were ready.  He took a little tour of the field we were in (thankfully it had a gate) and would not let us catch him.  Like dummies, we left the ramp down and in no time, Merlin slipped under his butt chain (we are replacing those!) and he too was taking a jaunt.  Both ponies ran around, just delighted to see us marching after them.  Eventually, Merlin's sheet slipped under him and long story short, that sheet is no more.  I will post a picture of it very soon.  We giggle about it now but none of us thought it was funny at the time.  We were glad Merlin didn't hurt his stupid little self and I chalked the sheet up to $25 well-spent at Middleburg Tack Exchange.

We all moved on and once tacked up, began schooling.  Both ponies schooled great and both girls were clearly on their game.  They went into the Warm-Up, concentrating on their plans and the day started off with a bang.  Sarah won first on Romeo and Allie and Merlin were third!  Since their was no Green Pony, they went into Pony Hunter.  The hack was first.  Allie and Merlin were second and Sarah and Romeo were fourth.  Then, they had the over fences.  Allie and Merlin ended up second and third and Sarah was first and third!  Allie was given the Reserve Champion and we were so thrilled, we didn't do the math.  Now, after putting it on paper, we think Sarah was actually Reserve.  We'll look into it and see what goes.  Regardless, we were all so happy with how things went that the day is a success, either way.  Also, Sarah's Aunt and Grandfather were there for the day and it was great for them to be present for the wins.

The NVHJA Mini Medal was last and this was a test for both of the girls because these ponies have never done equitation courses.  In this class there were horses and ponies and they were the only green ones in the class.  The course was very complex for the ponies but I was just looking for the girls to practice their competitive demeanor and for the ponies to get some more miles.  Merlin is not doing his changes solidly yet so I knew the course would be challenging for him.  He actually did a flying lead change to a roll back and only cross-cantered in one other area.  Nonetheless, being an equitation class, the judge didn't penalize Allie and she won the class! 

Sarah did phenomenally well. Romeo did all his changes, jumped beautifully and stayed in rhythm.  I think the thing I am most proud of Sarah for is, I gave her the option to use the whole ring to fence #4 but she opted to do the rollback.  She did the same from 7 to 8.  She's got guts to try that on what can be a really tough pony and I'm just so proud.  Sarah ended up 2nd.

Alyssa went next and did the Childrens/Adult hack.  It was quite a big class and most certainly had plenty of people that were more experienced than her and Bailey.  Bailey was also one of only two ponies in the class.  Bailey just tootled around and ended up third!  Next, she did the Pleasure, an equally large class.  Although they didn't pin in the first class, the Walk/Trot, they came back the next class (Walk/Trot/Canter) to win sixth and in the next (Go As You Please), moved up yet another slot to earn fifth!  I was thrilled for Alyssa, as she and Bailey hadn't shown in such a long time.  She just looked great and Bailey was darling. 

I got some pix of Bailey in the ring which I'll post later and once Alyssa had all her ribbons, we got some snaps of that too.

In summary, the neatest thing to see is the improvement in all the girls and their ponies.  This time, both Sara and Allie schooled their own ponies.  Normally, I get on if things look a little spooky or the ponies seem too fresh.  The girls are more confident and it transfers to the ponies.  Also, Romeo is now hacking!  In the past, we weren't able to hack him at all.  In the beginning, we didn't show him in the hack and when we did, we'd play it by ear and if he got too quick when it came time to canter, we'd have him stand in the center of the ring.  Now, he is so much more manageable and all the credit goes to Sarah's extremely hard work and persistence.

Alyssa came back from not showing for well over a year and competed in a large field of horses and came out with some very respectable ribbons.  I'm equally thrilled for her and I can't wait to get her to her next show.

Again, with a Jack Russell in my lap (and one in the laundry basket), I'm off to turn in for the day.

June 12, 2005

This is turning into my blog so if you are interested in my boring life, read on!  First off, I just have to say how proud I am of my student, Sarah, and her pony Hooligan Propaganda (Romeo) for being Reserve Champion in Pony Hunter today.  I'll get to all the details on that in a moment...

Yesterday (Saturday), as planned, I played groundskeeper at Sabrina's barn.  Showed up a little after 9 a.m., got to buzzing on the weeds and I'll be darned if the weedeater line didn't snap.  Before I left my house, I told myself I should bring spares and of course I didn't.  This dilemma happened in about the first five minutes of my project and I was not about to stop, so I got back in Snowy (the Explorer) and headed back home for the spares.  I came back not only with spare line, but I also brought my hedge trimmer (I'm a tool fanatic).  The weeds were so thick in one area, a machete would have been appropriate.  But instead, I hacked away at it with my hedge trimmer, and quite frankly, the weedeater got light duty.  About halfway thru, it was time to take pictures of one of the sale horses so I took some stills of his head and his body and then of Sabrina hacking him and jumping.  I hope I got some good ones.

At about 1:30, it was time for me to scoot and head to my lessons.  I ran home and literally took a cold shower, changed clothes, let the dogs out and bolted out the door.  Did a quick refueling for both Snowy and I and made my way to Gainesville for the lesson.  In the meantime, I'd made arrangements to meet with my friend Dani, who was visiting Upperville Colt & Horse Show, from her Brydelle Farm in Glenns, VA.  Dani and I became friends on an online bulletin board first, then attended the George Morris Teacher's clinic in Chicago two years ago. 

I got started with my lesson at 3:00 and Dani showed up around 3:30.  She hung out while I taught Sarah and Allie for the remainder of their lesson, then hung out while the girls bathed their ponies and I braided them.  It was great to catch up with Dani who has always been so nice to come and visit -- another time, she visited me at a show in Spotsylvania.  She's such a positive, motivated person and she's got an attitude that will keep her successful in everything she does.

While we were all taking care of day-before-the-show details, Sarah was about to put her cover back on her saddle and lo and behold, a momma mouse had snuggled up with her babies inside of it.  As she put the cover on, momma mouse and one baby ended up sitting on her stirrup iron and the other was still stuck in a fold of the cover.  The babies were just days old, as their little eyes hadn't even opened yet.  We could not get the momma off of the saddle.  She kept going from the stirrup pad up to the stirrup bar and back down, all the while with her little baby holding on tight.  Finally, we put the other baby in a clear plastic jar and scooped the momma and the other baby in the jar as well.  We put them all on the floor.  The momma ran out with the one baby in tow, leaving the other alone again!  I figured she ran under this shelf so I set the other baby in the plastic jar where she could find him and by morning, the whole family was reunited. 

So much for pest control!  She was just the cutest thing and was just scared to death.  I'm sure everyone is living happily ever after, eating wayward grains of feed and will soon be busy multiplying in no time!  Oh well!

After braiding, which was about 7:00 p.m., I headed home and brought Bob and I some carryout (I rarely cook anymore -- who has the time!).  After taking my THIRD shower of the day, I packed a few things for the show and was in bed early at 9:00 p.m..

The 4:45 a.m. alarm was waaaaaaaaaay too early.  But Bob and I both were up.  Bob left today for Reserves training (two weeks! :(  ).  I rolled out of the house at 5:30 a.m. and was pulling away from the barn by 6:00 a.m..  Allie couldn't make the show today so I got to play ponyjock again!  Sarah and I were the first ones on the grounds so we picked a nice shady spot.  Unfortunately, by the time we were done showing, that shade was completely gone!  Sarah and I schooled and both ponies were brave as we jumped around.  We discussed our goals for the day and our strategy for each class and we both motored around and had a great time.  I have to say, Sarah was way better at sticking to her plan than I was! 

The hack was first (I hate that!) and it was most definitely the best hack ever for both ponies.  I was riding unjudged on Merlin, although the judge and show management paid me a nice compliment by wondering why I was going in unjudged (um...I'm 40).  Sarah and Merlin were 2nd in the hack, first in their first over fences and second in their second over fences, earning them Reserve!  Her pony jumped the best and it was fantastic to watch her execute every little detail of her plan. 

Merlin was a good boy too.  His first round was much better than his second.  In the second round, there were three jumps that we jumped backwards (yes, that is what the course called for) and in Merlin's mind, he'd never jumped those jumps before.  He didn't stop but he did break to a trot to get a better look at things.  Regardless, I was really proud of him for marching around as confidently as he did and he jumped beautifully.  As usual, several people commented on the ponies and thought they were adorable.  And they are!

Of course, no show is complete without the obligatory stop at McDonald's.  Sarah and I made a pit stop and cooled off while wolfing down lunch.  We'd positioned the trailer under a shade tree and opened the door so the ponies could catch a breeze.  Amazingly, we actually did have a breeze today.

We'd also decided that we'd stop off at Uppervile on the way home, to drop off Allie's collar to get it stitched, since we'd be going thru there anyway.  Again, we parked in the shade (and of course at Upperville, there's plenty of it 'under the oaks') so the ponies would be comfortable.  By the time we got to my favorite embroidery lady, Carrie, at Personalized Products, she was closed!  She was sitting on one of her tables chatting and everything had been put away!  She was nice enough to open back up, just for us and we were so grateful.  And luckily, the collars Sarah and Alyssa had dropped off the day before were already done.  We did a little more shopping at one of the tack vendors and were finally on our merry way.

Back at the barn, Sarah and I unbraided the ponies, unpacked the truck and trailer and took care of all the details necessary to put the ponies to bed for the night.  Afterwards, we stopped at 7-11 for a celebratory Slurpee and my fourth HUGE water bottle of the day. 

At 4:00 p.m., I was home and saying hello to my doggies.  After a long day, I jumped in the shower, got into some comfies and headed out to my favorite nail salon for a badly needed pedicure and manicure.  My manicurist was appalled at my nails and I kept apologizing for the boot polish and mane-funk that had worked its way into my nails and would NOT come out.  Somehow, she managed to make me look like a woman of leisure when it was all said and done and off I was to my favorite Mexican place for a meal I'd been thinking about all day.  Now, with a full belly and a Jack Russell in my lap, I am happy to say, my day is coming to a close.  I cannot wait to hog our king-sized bed all to myself (well, and Sassy and Pippen).  Tomorrow, I'll be back at my desk in my wonderful air-controlled environment, where no one would ever fathom what it took to do two days in the life of Jana!

I'm too tired and it's too late for me to proof everything so if something reads funky, you know why!  I'll make it all pretty tomorrow. ;)

June 8, 2005

My friends have been giving me a hard time about not having updated my News page since March so here goes...  We finally got thru winter and got the ponies clipped.  Shiny new coats grew in in the spring and although it is spring now, it feels like summer.  All that griping we did about the cold -- well, we got what we asked for -- it's plenty warm now.

Have been taking the ponies to shows for the past several weekends.  Have been focusing primarily on teaching the girls how to compete first.  It's a huge step that can't be skipped when it comes to showing.  Once a rider learns how to handle the mental challenges involved with competing, then she is ready to win some ribbons.  Teenage girls are emotional enough as it is without dealing with heat, green ponies and the pressure they put on themselves to perform.  So, for the show season so far, that has been my main focus:  how do you handle it emotionally when your pony quits, runs, blows the hack or just plain doesn't perform like you thought he would?  The girls are becoming real little pros in their showing skills and I'm really proud of how far they've come.

Prior to that, both ponies were not keen on getting on the trailer.  So, both got a taste of Jana's lesson on why it is better to go in the trailer and why backing up or not moving forward isn't the best choice.  Both ponies now go up the trailer like pros and I'm happy to say I was only dragged once during this exciting process I seem to have to go thru every time I get a new client.

As for my quest to ride more, that's going fabulously although it is a major sacrifice of time spent with my boyfriend or doing things around the house.  Being a rider who has a full time job, a home, a boyfriend who I share the home with and people I have committed to help reach riding goals makes for a constant test of time management and balancing expertise.  A normal workday consists of being at the office by 8:30 a.m., leaving at 5:30 p.m., home by 6:00 p.m., changing clothes while the dogs do their business, then back out of the house as quickly as I can, off to the barn, dinner in the shape of an energy bar, fast food or nothing at all and home by about 9:30 p.m..  Not terribly grueling I suppose but it does catch up with me.  I was supposed to ride one of the ponies this evening but Mother Nature gave me a break by stirring up some major thunder boomers -- enough to call off the ride.  So, here I am, updating my webpage.

I've been riding one horse primarily.  A really pretty grey that I have a major crush on.  He's just adorable and is the sweetest thing.  He's like a big dog.  Loves to have his head rubbed and just loves to be groomed.  He raced for seven years, amazingly, and was out in a field for two years so I've been working hard to get him in shape so he can be sold.  One of my students, Alyssa, took this picture the very first day I rode Justin.  It was barely a month ago and he's already come such a long way.  He had the stiffest, shortest stride and could barely navigate a turn.  His stifles are pretty loose so he really wasn't even able to canter.  Last night, he cantered pretty well for half of the ring.  He's been trotting very rhythmically on the bit and bends nicely thru the turns.  I can't wait until he's fit enough to do some jumping.  I've been able to ride him 3-5 days a week.  This week I rode him Mon, Tues, Wed.  I'll ride him again on Sat and maybe late Sun.  We'll see how things go. 

My good friend, Sabrina Droescher of Nightsong Farm, has been nice enough to let me ride him, among other horses so I help around the barn to make it worth her while.  I've pulled manes, Justin's included and helped do stalls.  This weekend, I think I'm going to attack some of the weeds with my weedeater!  I'm a weedeater freak so I can't wait.  Yes, when I can beat my boyfriend to it, I do lawn work.  That's normally right when I've come home from a show.  He bought me a nifty John Deere tractor and it makes quick work of our yard.  I'm one of those weird people that loves to cut the yard.

So, I'll do some grounds work at the barn first thing on Sat a.m., then I'm going to help Sabrina by taking pictures of some of the sale horses and recording them on DVDs (with the nifty recorder my boyfriend also bought -- everything goes straight to DVD).  After that, I'll head off to school one of my girls who'll be showing this weekend and then I'll be braiding ponies (I'll be showing one of them).  Never a dull moment!