I lied!

So much for my New Year's resolutions! I sent CJ back to his owner a couple of weeks ago, we just didn't click. He wanted to constantly take off and was just so nervous. I think he was sore and I just really didn't want to work through something like that again, I want something I can just get on and ride. Selfish maybe, but I think I've put in enough sideline time trying to figure out why a horse is acting a certain way.

I'm still riding the 2 dressage Arabians regularly so I don't feel like I've lost much. I also might start working some of the green Arabians too so right now I don't have a shortage of rides. I also feel less guilty about riding other horses when Lester isn't there to see me:-) he's like a jealous boyfriend and gets so mad and whiny. But damn, he is cute.

This is Billy, he's 3rd level and looks like a little warmblood. Gosh does he make me work for it, I've never ridden a horse before that required so much leg and for one to have NO reaction to my legs! Even my new magic boots can't save me! His owner gave me a lounge lesson on him last Saturday to work on my sitting trot and I thought I was going to die, I am so freaking weak. I haven't been able to ask for any of the fun stuff like shoulder in or half pass because I still can barely get him to move. It takes all my energy to just keep him forward. It's embarrassing actually!

The little gray one is JB aka Jumper Bunny. Apparently he liked to jumped out of his pasture as a weanling and stir up all kinds of trouble. He's a sweety though. He's 2nd level and I can get him to move a bit better, but it still takes everything I got. Both Billy and JB are very level headed and really nice to ride. I think I have been spoiled by forward thoroughbreds for too long and I'm really paying the price now. Lester never would just die out on me if I took my leg off him and didn't take much gas either:-)

Poor JB had a bout with colic last week let's hope he's completely over it. The weather has been crazy lately so that was no help. One day it's in the 70's and the next it's snowing, but that's Georgia for you.

My boots in action!

Oh and the first video of me riding CJ:-) I'm not terribly impressed with my position:-/, but I'm still trying to be very soft and quiet which means I don't want to sit too deep and can't put my legs on him much right now. The EXACT opposite from the other 2 Arabians I've been riding. They both take a lot of leg...Even though CJ looks fairly relaxed and quiet in the video he still anticipates too much and just wants to go go go. He wants to do it all right and all right now. He just worries too much and still gets too quick then curls that neck and puts his head to his chest.

When he canters going right he throws in little bucks, but doesn't seem to do it going to the left. I hope it's just because he's weaker on his right hind and the bucks will go away once he gets stronger.

I've been locking the dogs out of the riding area lately, but I have to say that the they did a pretty good job at staying out of my way and Peanut not trailing too close, but I think she was thrown off and confused because my sister, Jen, was the one filming and she probably thought she was me:-) Speaking of my sis I let her hop on CJ. She used to ride and have horses also, but then got very competitive in the dog agility, obedience and training world (all with greyhounds I might add).

Go go Ariat Boots!

I LOVE my new boots! They have given me my riding identity back. They do for me what a cape does for a Super Hero:-) I rode 3 horses last Thursday...go go Ariat boots! My long time instructor hooked me up to ride a student's 2 Arabians while she recovers from her hip replacement surgery. After riding one of them 2 weeks ago and barely fit enough to ride for more than 20 minutes is when I made the decision to go ahead and lease CJ. I have got to be in riding shape when an opportunity like this comes along, to work two very lovely dressage horses, one is training 2nd level and the other 3rd. Thursday was a perfect day in the high 50's and even though I'm technically off from the barn on Thursdays I left work early to go hop on CJ before going and riding the two Arabians.
Here is a lunging clip of CJ. I should have put him in side reins, I know. I think lunging really revs him up because he was a speed racer that night when I got on. Just wanted to go go go. He's still nervous because everything is still very new to him, but he's getting better and only pooping once now while we tack up! Gosh I miss that about Lester, he rarely, if ever pooped while I tacked him up or untacked him. I got on CJ the other day and just walked, not sure he's ever done that before:-) He seemed a bit shocked.
I can't do a post and not mention my Less Man:-) Whether it's his halter or someone Else's he loves to grab them. I had to switch him to his leather halter because since it's stiffer than his nylon one it's easier to sneak over his nose quicker. He always looks so defeated when he tries to grab for it and misses it:-)

Meet CJ the lease horse

So CJ, aka Cody's Missfire arrived last Saturday. So much for my New Year's resolution of blogging more! We put him out with Lester and Fella and they have all done very well together. Lester hasn't bullied him too badly even though he is jealous and King of the pasture. CJ likes to stay to himself for the most part. He needs some weight and some muscle so we are just going to take it slow, but hey, that's what I'm best at- starting over and going slow... It might not look like it, but CJ is quite the mover. I will get some video of that soon. The first 2 days after he arrived the weather was cold and wet, not good camera weather. I've hopped on him twice since Saturday and he wants to be a little speed demon, but he half-halts well so no worries. He's an ex-eventer so was trained to go be very forward, I imagine he'll like a slower pace when he figures it all out. I kinda feel like this is where Less and I left off. I mean he's been out to pasture for a year and out of work, but knows his job and does lateral work. He's got such a baby face, you can't tell he's 17 can you?
Cody's Missfire got his name because his daddy, (Cody something) jumped the fence one day and bred a mare he shouldn't have. CJ is an Arabian-Paint cross, but I forget which parent was which.

Ya think Less is showing a bit of his jealous side? LOL

Belated Xmas pics and Happy New Year!

I finally got some pics with the Santa hat on the Pigman:-) I really need to just accept the fact that I can get only 2 poses, well 3 out of the horse..."a grazing face plant", "forced hug" or the famous "begging/tongue" poses... he is the absolute worst model for anything else! But I do still love the impossible beast... he makes up for it in other ways like herding up his pasturemates and getting them to the gate when it's time. He's also the messiest horse when it comes to his stall, he doesn't care where his manure piles end and hay begins:-/ but the girl that does the stalls now said he makes up for that fact in personality alone, I'd have to agree:-) He is still the sweetest horse I have ever known.

So what are your New Year resolutions? I don't usually have any, but this year it's to ride more and keep a cleaner house (I know, stroke, huh) oh and be a better blogger-post/read/comment more! The Arabian, Basonge that I rode and posted about a few times was actually sold last month to a great home in Tennessee. But with new boots I had to find another mount so I will be leasing a horse soon...more to come on that:-)