Weekend Recap

The problem with being a (part-time) student is that I end up having to study and write so many papers I lose motivation for all other things. That’s not just writing things either. It’s all things. Driving. Nope don’t want to do that. Cooking. Nope don’t want to do that either. Poor John has to fend for himself a lot of nights for dinner and when I am home it’s always one of those “what do you feel like” situations. On top of all the horse stuff I’m really not sure why he puts up with me.

Still waiting for our pretty ribbon to be fixed

This past weekend I had to write a briefing note for my Conservation of Canadian Forests class. I’m quite interested in non-native invasive species so I decided to write on that. The more I learn and look into conservation the sadder I get for nature, people and the planet. I need to figure out how to get more involved. But in a productive way not a march down the street protesting kind of way.

Between bouts of writing I managed to make it up the barn twice and out to Nuit Blanche.

Saturday:

I’m not sure if I’ve made this clear enough to you all yet. Tucker is in LOVE with food. He’ll eat just about anything. When I take him out to graze after a ride I have to be careful he doesn’t step on me. I’m pretty sure that he forgets I’m there. When I got up to the barn on Saturday Tuck was turned out. Normally the jerk makes me walk all the way to the back of the field to get him. Must feed the belly you know. But on Saturday he came to me. I didn’t even have to leave the gate. He stopped eating and marched, I repeat marched, right to me. There’s something else you have to understand about Tucker, he hurries for no one/nothing (except to eat of course). I couldn’t believe it.

I’ve been feeling more gushy about him lately. Maybe he’s turning into my heart horse. I’m not sure yet though. I do know that I love my big squishy guy.

I rode for close to an hour and did 15 minutes of that ride without stirrups. Yep I met the 15 minute goal. But not quite the part where 15 minutes is easy. So goal almost complete.

I also got my base time for 2pointober. Holy crap that was harder than I thought it would be. I’m embarrassed with my mega struggle to hit the 1 minute mark. Definitely LOTS of room for improvement.

Saturday night John and I went out to check out what was going on around the city for Nuit Blanche. We didn’t see too much art though. Mostly we went out to find something for dinner and look for our favourite food truck. We found the Fidel Gastro truck and shared an order of their Pad Thai Fries. Soooo good!

Sunday:

Sundays are lesson days now. We came up to the ring and my stomach dropped. G had set up a huge gymnastic. I still have my issues with gymnastic. I can usually get over it though because normally we build up the gymnastic slowly. I can get used to riding bits of it at a time. Not Sunday. G had the whole line set. Ugh.

He had us start out by working on our canter. Medium, compressed and “big” canter. Then he had us canter back and forth over a vertical, halting on a straight line after the jump.

And then it was gymnastic time. 3 stride to 2 stride to 1 stride to 1 stride to 3 or 4 stride. G said he set in on an 11 foot stride. That made me feel a little better. He stressed the importance of straightness and rhythm. Then we were off. Quarter line vertical to the gymnastic on a left rein. Get straight, leg on, stay up, shoulders back. And it could not have been better. We fit the 4 in the last element instead of the 3 but that was ok.

We went through it a couple times in both directions and then put it together in a course.

Course: left rein to quarter line vertical, gymnastic, long approach to diagonal vertical, right rein quarter line vertical, to gymnastic. Again it could not have gone much better. The second time through the gymnastic was a little not straight but we made it. G commented that Tucker seemed to really enjoy the exercise. I think he was right. I could see Tucks knees popping up the whole way through the gymnastic. Usually I only see them when he jumps the crap out of something.

Hope you all had a good weekend.