Today we did incredibly long trot sets with the horses. hack out to the gate in between longwood and meredith south (the o'connors' place) and then trot all the way around longwood, through woods scattered with jumpable logs and ditches, through two cross country fields and around two others. then back through meredith and around the perimeter there, up the last stretch through the sparse grove of trees up to the small six horse barn where our horses are happily staying.
Today was a landmark day: Hunter aka Frank (for frankenstein who has tons of scars from his youth) who is known for being flighty and uncomfortable in new places.... took a nap in the sun! laying down! i have NEVER seen him lying down except to roll, which as a grey he does about five zillion times a day.
tomorrow we will do some more trot/canter sets with the horses, and the two we are taking hunting sunday, Frank and Hubert, we will take a short jumping lesson on from missy after she come back from her event (@ rocking horse)
Hopefully we can make it over there to watch her and karen's cross country courses as well as a few folks from home who are also competing. its going to be a whos who of the eventing world. should be fun to watch. (i'll bring my camera of course)
So Sunday, should be amazing. we are taking two horses to hunt with Live Oak, which is apparently the best around. Fast and furious, i hope. the unfortunate part is having to pull out of the barn at 4am. lots and lots of coffee. and snacks. and more coffee.
but it'll be loads o' fun!
until later.
1.27.2011
florida. photos.
So here are some photos. the first...... two, then the third are from the oconnors farm. THE O'CONNORS.
that is where our horses are. we are staying on the other property shown in the photos. Longwood. beautiful. huge, huge fields of cross country jumps. four of them. and missy (ransehousen for those not in the know) is putting us through the most fun bootcamp ever. so that may disqualify it from being dubbed bootcamp. but whatever.
anyway. its been beautiful here. and its amazing how many top level riders are here. today i acted as a wing for a jump while darren chaichai schooled a horse over it and one of the U.S.A. eventing team members who competed at the world equestrian games was zooming around on two different mounts today as well.
soooo coool.
anyway. enjoy.
OH and in the last few photos are of a cross coutry lesson jen and i took with missy over at longwood. missy tried to take some photos... so there are the usable ones. im the one with the neon blue vest. we jumped all over the place in the first of five fields at our disposal. all chock full of beautiful, varyingly huge, and impeccably maintained jumps. we schooled over a ditch, a bank or two, some water combos, huge logs, crazy brush jumps with colorful foliage growing out of them etc etc. SOOOOOO fun. sometimes you need a little excitement to remind you why you got into this whole crazy lifestyle. seriously.
that is where our horses are. we are staying on the other property shown in the photos. Longwood. beautiful. huge, huge fields of cross country jumps. four of them. and missy (ransehousen for those not in the know) is putting us through the most fun bootcamp ever. so that may disqualify it from being dubbed bootcamp. but whatever.
anyway. its been beautiful here. and its amazing how many top level riders are here. today i acted as a wing for a jump while darren chaichai schooled a horse over it and one of the U.S.A. eventing team members who competed at the world equestrian games was zooming around on two different mounts today as well.
soooo coool.
anyway. enjoy.
OH and in the last few photos are of a cross coutry lesson jen and i took with missy over at longwood. missy tried to take some photos... so there are the usable ones. im the one with the neon blue vest. we jumped all over the place in the first of five fields at our disposal. all chock full of beautiful, varyingly huge, and impeccably maintained jumps. we schooled over a ditch, a bank or two, some water combos, huge logs, crazy brush jumps with colorful foliage growing out of them etc etc. SOOOOOO fun. sometimes you need a little excitement to remind you why you got into this whole crazy lifestyle. seriously.
 |
| thats me and winton! the jump only looks small cause he is GIGANTIC! |
So here, it is a horse persons mecca. next door are breeding stallions, and on the other side the O'Conor's place. i mean, dozens of advanced level event horses and every single one is more impressive than the last.
across the street is a race horse training facility with a full track, and its not unusual to be driving past and see horses breezing down the stretch.
then, ever few hundred feet, a couple dozen acres, is another farm: fresians, morgans, thoroughbreds, sport horses, everything.
its close to heaven. and really, I have never met so many upper level riders in my whole life, let alone, just jumping around the same cross country course as me. Seriously? how did i get here? how did this happen to me?
so. freeeeeaking awesome.
oh, today i was officially introduced to david oconor and got to watch their newest equine addition to the oconnor event team get her first lesson in manners.
karen standing next to me narrating what was going on in the ring. yup. this is my life, apparently. still trying to figure out what i did right exactly, but also trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth. harharhar.
and not to be flippant, but i really feel for everyone at home. I mean, i need to be here, but i wish you all could be too. its that beautiful and wonderful of an experience.
and the snow stinks. and apparently this thing.... of me leaving and the sky dumping down snow was not just a one time deal last winter. and for that. i am sorry.
love and miss you all at home. painfully so and i cant wait to see you. but i am definitely not wishing away my time here.
1.26.2011
Florida Florida jiggidy jog
So.
Jen and I arrived in Ocala Florida monday morning, around 4:30 am, ahead of the horses by about an hour, just enough time to sleep a smidge before getting them settled and morning chores. We had left Pa at around 11am sunday morning stopping only to help water the horses bathroom breaks and of course, eat (our second favorite thing behind riding of course).
Its been two real (and by real i mean days not overcome with the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball and sleep) days and still, every five minutes or so, one of us mutters "oh. wow. it is sooooooo nice here" "Ah! how perfect is the weather?" "THE SUN! it feels so good" "ohhhh yeah. it. is beautiful out" etc etc etc. the only thing we have going for us right now is that we try and say it a different way every time, and yet i still think everyone thinks we are insane.
we have gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff so far, like listen in on a judges seminar led by a no-nonsense "L" dressage judge (i dont know what that means, except she is supposed to know what she is talking about). the future judges were to watch horse and rider pairs and critique them, saying the sorts of things they would write on the judges forms. and, well. it made me a little nervous hearing them talk about what they were seeing and thinking about them as the future of dressage judging for eventing aka future me. yikes! However, missy (our trainer) ransehousen and darren chiacchia (another advanced event rider) ride for the trainees.
it was really cool. then we walked with missy back to her barn while she bitched about their comments on her horse who looks amazing and is doing incredible considering he broke his stifle a year ago. (an injury many never recover fully from)
we also got to watch karen oconnor take a lesson from an old school german dressage rider/trainer. also super cool.
And, well..... its only going to get better. tomorrow we take a lesson from missy, and ask Karen Oconnor when she has time to give us a lesson or two and also when she wants to take us to dinner (that was her idea :) ) oh! and karen ALSO commented that all our horses look great. (hopefully she'll maintain that position once she watches them all go. ahem)
anyway
ill keep you posted on the juicy bits of course.
needless to say, getting settled has taken bit of effort, though not for the horses who are as happy as kittens sun bathing.
And on that note, I will promise more stories and some serious details, later, and perhaps some photos when i have a moment to upload them, and, after i get some zzzzzs.
(plus i have to do all this on Missy's computer, which she so graciously let me use, cause mine wont connect to the stupid internets! Grrrrrrrr)
anyway, ttfn.
Jen and I arrived in Ocala Florida monday morning, around 4:30 am, ahead of the horses by about an hour, just enough time to sleep a smidge before getting them settled and morning chores. We had left Pa at around 11am sunday morning stopping only to help water the horses bathroom breaks and of course, eat (our second favorite thing behind riding of course).
Its been two real (and by real i mean days not overcome with the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball and sleep) days and still, every five minutes or so, one of us mutters "oh. wow. it is sooooooo nice here" "Ah! how perfect is the weather?" "THE SUN! it feels so good" "ohhhh yeah. it. is beautiful out" etc etc etc. the only thing we have going for us right now is that we try and say it a different way every time, and yet i still think everyone thinks we are insane.
we have gotten to do some pretty sweet stuff so far, like listen in on a judges seminar led by a no-nonsense "L" dressage judge (i dont know what that means, except she is supposed to know what she is talking about). the future judges were to watch horse and rider pairs and critique them, saying the sorts of things they would write on the judges forms. and, well. it made me a little nervous hearing them talk about what they were seeing and thinking about them as the future of dressage judging for eventing aka future me. yikes! However, missy (our trainer) ransehousen and darren chiacchia (another advanced event rider) ride for the trainees.
it was really cool. then we walked with missy back to her barn while she bitched about their comments on her horse who looks amazing and is doing incredible considering he broke his stifle a year ago. (an injury many never recover fully from)
we also got to watch karen oconnor take a lesson from an old school german dressage rider/trainer. also super cool.
And, well..... its only going to get better. tomorrow we take a lesson from missy, and ask Karen Oconnor when she has time to give us a lesson or two and also when she wants to take us to dinner (that was her idea :) ) oh! and karen ALSO commented that all our horses look great. (hopefully she'll maintain that position once she watches them all go. ahem)
anyway
ill keep you posted on the juicy bits of course.
needless to say, getting settled has taken bit of effort, though not for the horses who are as happy as kittens sun bathing.
And on that note, I will promise more stories and some serious details, later, and perhaps some photos when i have a moment to upload them, and, after i get some zzzzzs.
(plus i have to do all this on Missy's computer, which she so graciously let me use, cause mine wont connect to the stupid internets! Grrrrrrrr)
anyway, ttfn.
1.21.2011
winter.
it. is. cold. the high today was on my way to work at 6:30 am. 33 degrees. f'n cold. feels like 18. tonight 12 with high winds. tomorrow night, cold again. highs drasticly below freezing. way to go out with a bang. but on these cold days, there is nothing like a hot cup of coffee midday to get me motivated to bak out and keep slogging away at our todo list.... the rest of which i will carry out (mostly) myself because my travel companion/boss is headed to a funeral.
OI VEY.
by the way, today in ocala it is 61 with a low of 40. WHAT! that was the high yesterday, and, well. summer weather as far as im concerned. Can. Not. Wait.
(note: although i complain about the cold, i would rather it be below freezing and working out side than inside any day. i was excited we only got a few inches of snow today cause it meant we could ride. a last little ass kicking before we show what we've accomplished/destroyed to our trainer in florida)
(also note: i still have dreams about being a cowboy. but mostly i think ill be a horse-farmer? wait, not that is strange. I still want to wear bandanas and vests everyday, old worn in boots, jeans so dirty and worn they are nearly waterproof, be weatherworn and tough and be able to ride anything that comes my way. so that will qualify me as a cowboy, right? i sure hope so cause that is where i am headed no doubt.
OI VEY.
by the way, today in ocala it is 61 with a low of 40. WHAT! that was the high yesterday, and, well. summer weather as far as im concerned. Can. Not. Wait.
(note: although i complain about the cold, i would rather it be below freezing and working out side than inside any day. i was excited we only got a few inches of snow today cause it meant we could ride. a last little ass kicking before we show what we've accomplished/destroyed to our trainer in florida)
(also note: i still have dreams about being a cowboy. but mostly i think ill be a horse-farmer? wait, not that is strange. I still want to wear bandanas and vests everyday, old worn in boots, jeans so dirty and worn they are nearly waterproof, be weatherworn and tough and be able to ride anything that comes my way. so that will qualify me as a cowboy, right? i sure hope so cause that is where i am headed no doubt.
1.20.2011
seek and find?
so this seems like I am embarking on a vision quest of some kind. spending three weeks with folks known to me, really. working my tail off towards my dreams..... into a land unknown....
I'm starting to feel a little anxious a little impatient, and a little whole lot of excited. and already, I know im just going to be busy. mind body and spirit.
i should throw cards before i leave. ill add it to the list. HA!
Foxes are highly adaptable creatures who will move into urban surroundings when, their habitat is encroached on by humans. They maintain a territory, but it greatly decreases when they live in urban areas as opposed to hill country. Each territory is kept by one family group, which consists of a dog fox, vixen, and their cubs. If there is a good food supply than the family group can expand to include a few other adults. Nevertheless, only one vixen will produce cubs in the group. As for food, foxes are not too picky eating anything from earthworms, crabs, and fruit to small mammals. They bury the excess prey to eat when the food supply is short.
Fox's clever nature makes it a master of camouflage. When hunted by hounds, Fox will psyche them out by doubling back on its own trail, and run around in circles to break the scent. It has the amazing ability to meld into the background, allowing it to quietly observe the situation around them.
Fox comes to us when we need to slip out of a situation so we can be silent witness to what is really taking place behind the scenes. We need to use our cleverness to our advantage, but we must remember to be discreet. Fox asks us to carefully look at where we are coming from, so we can remember to approach things with a clear conscious.
i've seen the fox out and about everyday for the last two weeks, except today.
I'm starting to feel a little anxious a little impatient, and a little whole lot of excited. and already, I know im just going to be busy. mind body and spirit.
i should throw cards before i leave. ill add it to the list. HA!
Foxes are highly adaptable creatures who will move into urban surroundings when, their habitat is encroached on by humans. They maintain a territory, but it greatly decreases when they live in urban areas as opposed to hill country. Each territory is kept by one family group, which consists of a dog fox, vixen, and their cubs. If there is a good food supply than the family group can expand to include a few other adults. Nevertheless, only one vixen will produce cubs in the group. As for food, foxes are not too picky eating anything from earthworms, crabs, and fruit to small mammals. They bury the excess prey to eat when the food supply is short.
Fox's clever nature makes it a master of camouflage. When hunted by hounds, Fox will psyche them out by doubling back on its own trail, and run around in circles to break the scent. It has the amazing ability to meld into the background, allowing it to quietly observe the situation around them.
Fox comes to us when we need to slip out of a situation so we can be silent witness to what is really taking place behind the scenes. We need to use our cleverness to our advantage, but we must remember to be discreet. Fox asks us to carefully look at where we are coming from, so we can remember to approach things with a clear conscious.
i've seen the fox out and about everyday for the last two weeks, except today.
1.19.2011
gettin it ready
lil wayne's experimental rock album playing, trying to tie together what is left to do before we load up the horses, and follow them in our own big rig, 20 hrs down to ocala florida.
its been maybe a decade... no, i went to key west as a junior in highschool, but i've never been to the horse country down there.
for some, the prospect of working full days for three weeks would seem unappetizing, to say the least. but honestly, I cant wait. Can. Not. Wait.
the stars line up, the planets aligned, you know the drill.
this is where its all led me. and im super pleased.
gonna miss my mom dad and xina.
my helen gracie and kittehs.
and maybe my horse, maybe.
but I can safely say that what im about to experience will make the time away justified.
well. on a side note.... i just figured out how to log into my photobucket! and its CRA-ZAY!
so many photos so many beautiful times memories people places. oh! now i can post you all sorts of things! Even my miriad of photos from europe that my parents still have not seen!
or my photos from Nola. oh. beauty of which I have never seen the likes of before.
oh! I am so lucky i have a memory.
love d
if you click on it... itll take you to a land for far away, inside my now (sadly) broken camera. and a lareger version. Yeah!
its been maybe a decade... no, i went to key west as a junior in highschool, but i've never been to the horse country down there.
for some, the prospect of working full days for three weeks would seem unappetizing, to say the least. but honestly, I cant wait. Can. Not. Wait.
the stars line up, the planets aligned, you know the drill.
this is where its all led me. and im super pleased.
gonna miss my mom dad and xina.
my helen gracie and kittehs.
and maybe my horse, maybe.
but I can safely say that what im about to experience will make the time away justified.
well. on a side note.... i just figured out how to log into my photobucket! and its CRA-ZAY!
so many photos so many beautiful times memories people places. oh! now i can post you all sorts of things! Even my miriad of photos from europe that my parents still have not seen!
or my photos from Nola. oh. beauty of which I have never seen the likes of before.
oh! I am so lucky i have a memory.
love d
if you click on it... itll take you to a land for far away, inside my now (sadly) broken camera. and a lareger version. Yeah!
1.09.2011
here we go again
In two weeks, i head to Ocala Florida for work. Driving the big white trailer with six horses and three weeks worth of equipment and supplies. two weeks in florida followed by a week or so in Aiken South Carolina for hunt week.
and of course, I will be taking my computer with me, to write, stay connected, and share my camera's view on everything we do down there, from lessons with Karen OConner and Missy Ransehousen, to clubbing with Jen, Missy and the girls, yoga in the barn after hours (hopefully) to hunting with The Boss. I also hope we sneek in some sight seeing as well and some documentation of how incredible we become at riding after two + weeks of boot camp.
I am seriously excited..... excited for the 24/7 horsey time, excited for hunting for coyote in florida: fast and furious, and for soaking up as much as possible. I cant imagine a better opportunity....
I mean, of course I will be seriously missing my feline companions as well as my favorite H, and keeping with the fam from afar is always a little harder..... but it will be super fun, hard work, and oiy, what an opportunity.
cant wait to put up some photos....
and of course, I will be taking my computer with me, to write, stay connected, and share my camera's view on everything we do down there, from lessons with Karen OConner and Missy Ransehousen, to clubbing with Jen, Missy and the girls, yoga in the barn after hours (hopefully) to hunting with The Boss. I also hope we sneek in some sight seeing as well and some documentation of how incredible we become at riding after two + weeks of boot camp.
I am seriously excited..... excited for the 24/7 horsey time, excited for hunting for coyote in florida: fast and furious, and for soaking up as much as possible. I cant imagine a better opportunity....
I mean, of course I will be seriously missing my feline companions as well as my favorite H, and keeping with the fam from afar is always a little harder..... but it will be super fun, hard work, and oiy, what an opportunity.
cant wait to put up some photos....
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