A Year Later…
OK, I know I’ve not only been a horrible blogger, I have completely failed at blogging all together for 2012! I did, however, manage to jot down some blog post ideas and become incredibly obsessed with Pinterest. If you haven’t joined yet, I suggest you do so! Here’s a link to my profile: http://pinterest.com/laurenmallen/ I post a ton of horse stuff (obviously!), so “follow” me!
Here’s a recap of 2012….
Winter/Spring: I went into the new year with a new perspective on training with my horse, Dancer, and felt pretty optimistic about lessons as well. I continued riding Madison and started riding a few others sporadically which was great experience for me! Dancer did finally “get” the shoulder-in and started to understand the concept of leg yeilds and staying striaght during the process. (He knew how to side-pass from a young age, so I’m trying to retrain his brain into thinking it’s OK to go forward as well as sideways!)
Spring/Summer: I ended up helping my good barn buddy, Micah, with some shows at our fair grounds and going as Mrs. K’s groom. It was great fun to be behind the scenes, enjoy the fellowship of good friends, do a little work and not have the worries of being in the show ring. Although, it did rekindle the desire to start showing Dancer again (it’s been YEARS!). I continued to work through the Summer heat and somehow survived another 100+ season. My birthday happens to be in June, and my mom got me a HyperKewl Cooling Vest so I used it A LOT! It worked great for the first hour or so, but I kept having to spray myself down (vest included) throughout the day in order to keep us both hydrated! I would definitely recommend it if you have to work outside in the heat for hours at a time. The vest, combined with a cooling neck tie and ball cap caused both my husband and Mrs. K to accuse me of working part-time as a wilderness guide in Yosemite! Rest assured, I have not quit my day job. Although I did consider becoming a mounted park ranger at one point during high school. Sometimes, after long hours at a desk, I wish I had pursued it!
Summer/Fall: Summer took its sweet time ending and Fall was very welcome this year! I took advantage of being able to ride after work without sweating my brains out – and before one of the most dreaded events in an equestrian’s year – Daylight Savings! ugh! Dancer and I have been slowly progressing and moving toward competing at Training Level. We worked a lot on trot/walk transitions and staying “on the bit” longer without as much coaxing. Oh, and my baby sister got married! It was a busy season for us all, but we were thankful for the mild weather!
Fall/Winter(2013): As fall ended and winter began, I found myself very thankful for the warmer weather. I’m not a fan of anything below 45 degrees, and celebrated each day that was in the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s! I tried to get in as much riding time as possible! Dancer and I are currently working on our canter-trot, trot-canter transitions and staying “on the bit” at the canter. We haven’t worked much at the canter over the past year because the only area I have available to ride in (Dancer’s pasture) isn’t completely flat and I was worried about cantering on the uneven ground. But, we managed to carve out an oval-shaped area that is flat and safe to ride on. Not ideal, but I feel pretty OK about asking for the canter now. In other news, my husband and I decided to include our furry kids in our Christmas cards this year, so I was finally able to get some great shots of Dancer and I, even though it was an overcast day. I’ve wanted decent, updated photos of us for years so I was very excited! And having a great photo of my sweet husband with our cute puppy was definitely a bonus!
As for my lessons with Mrs K, I feel we’ve had a big breakthrough! Madison and I have had multiple really great rides – our canter transitions have gotten better, I’m able to get him “on the bit” much faster, and he’s trusting me more. I’ve started riding a few other horses in the barn and have really improved my seat over the past year. I feel good about 2013 and hope to continue improving, learning and growing…. and blogging!
