SCORE! Free lease!

I have some great news.  I was on a horse group on Facebook and found a free lease in exchange for cleaning stalls!  The horse is a 2005 TB, willing and safe for beginners.  The owner has two horses on her property but is attending college and does not have time for both of them.  She seems very nice.  The only downside is it's about a 45 minute drive.  But I think it's worth it, since it's free. 

I am talking to the owner now and we are figuring out a time for me to come meet him.  Will update soon!

I don't know how to title this

Long time, no see!  Again!  I am horrible at staying committed to this blog....or anything, really....

Anyhoo, I haven't really done anything horse-related in the past few months.  The lease did not work out.  Mainly because I was concerned about the excessive barn drama I was about to become involved in, and the owner did not want me to use Amber for lessons if I leased the horse, bla bla bla, I just got overwhelmed and decided not to do it.

If only I could have my own pony...

That's not realistic, though.  Never really has been.  Hopefully one day.

The reason I'm writing this blog post now is that I really don't want to give up on riding, I've never wanted to give up necessarily.  It's just expensive, mainly.  And there's drama, and that always scares me away.  I'm not that good with people. 

I've been thinking about horses constantly for the past few weeks.  I started looking online for leases, places to board, lessons, perhaps, horses for sale, anything.  I also brought the idea of riding again up to my mom.  She likes the idea, and she's willing to help pay, but I obviously have to pay a majority of it.

A few minutes ago I came across an ad for a horse for lease.  This horse happens to be from Possum Creek.  I texted her, and actually found the owner on Facebook as she is friends with Megan, so added her there.  Still waiting for a response so hopefully this may lead to something.  If not, oh well.  Worth a shot, though.

What's that I hear? A lease? For real?

Not volunteering at Possum Creek. BUT... I am...leasing...a morgan cross gelding at Conference! (Named "Whiskey") Let's just say I am SUPER excited!

Let me catch you up!

 So, a while back I made a post on a Facebook horse group, saying I was looking for a lease. I didn't really get any responses, but there was one from a lady who knew a family that was looking to buy a horse. They would immediately want to lease out the horse for half the week. But the lady (Jessica) told me that they were still looking for a horse and it may be a few weeks, but that when they got it, it would be at Conference. I basically forgot about it until yesterday when Jessica messaged me saying they had gotten their horse and was looking for a leaser.

 Suzanne is the owner, Faith is her daughter. We met them today and we met Whiskey. They were both very kind, and Whiskey was very lovable and sweet. I didn't get to ride today (as I wasn't wearing proper shoes) but will be riding him tomorrow at 4ish. Suzanne is wanting me to take lessons with somebody when first riding him as she wants to make sure I'm riding properly and whatnot, which is understandable. I'm hoping to take them from Amber, of course, as that's who I'd feel most comfortable with.

 I'll let you know how riding tomorrow goes!

Possum Creek with Megan

The other day I did end up going to Possum Creek with Megan. It was nice to be out there with the ponies! I didn't end up riding, but I watched Megan ride Sammy and I got to pet the ponies and chat with her. It was nice. Am talking to Elaine about volunteering again, so hopefully that will work out. Sorry, a short post!

Sorry For the Absence....

Once again, I have been absent. And I'm sorry.

 Why is life so hard at times? Why is money so hard to make and save and spend? (Wait...no...it's easy to spend. Ha!) All I want is to have a stable time riding horses. Stable, and consistent. Where I am leasing, taking a good amount of lessons, etc. for months and months. Nothing is seeming to ever last and it's terribly annoying, and discouraging. I love horses. They need to be in my life!

 Anyways, I have not been doing anything horse related as I just don't have the money. Not sure if I mentioned I had a job at McDonald's but I just couldn't take it and quit. It was terrible. Being the second time I worked there, I had enough. Luckily, I got a job at Barnes & Noble. And guess what? I absolutely love it! Have never loved a job this much before. Have worked about 12 days so far within three weeks and it's going really well. I am working in the café but will move onto bookseller and cashier in the future (I'm excited for that!) Unlike any job before, I feel secure. I feel like it's going to definitely be long-term and it's going to continue to go well. I really do love it. I'm very confident that it will stay.

Been trying off and on to get back into lessons or a lease but it never seems to work out. I think I may have my first lesson back with Amber this week, however. I'm hoping to have a lease pretty soon, and supplement it with the lessons. If I just have lessons, I never have the ability to practice on my own. It's hard to get very far with that. I really wish the lease had worked out with Jade... that would have been perfect.... But as Dumbledore says, "It doesn't do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live." (Yes, I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan.)

 I'm excited for my lesson this week. I think it will be Saturday. And that's good, as I will be paid on Friday. Just in time! Also, call me crazy, but I may try to volunteer at Possum Creek Stables again. If it's one of the only few ways to be exposed to horses, I'm all for it. Megan claims Elaine is in need of volunteers so she'll probably take me back even though I stopped showing up last time. I'm about to text her and see.

 As usual, will update you when I can. Thanks to anyone who is still following my blog! I can't wait until I have actual interesting horse-related stuff to post, and not just "my-life-sucks-I-never-get-to-ride-horses-posts" haha. See ya!

"You're Putting the Cart Before the Horse"

As my mom likes to say to me, "You're putting the cart before the horse."

Funny how we are talking about horses when she says that.

So let me catch you up...

Found an ad on Craigslist for a horse that was either for sale or lease.  The horse is a 4 year old, bay quarter gelding.  He's very handsome, and seems like a very good horse for being so young!  Here he is...

The price of the horse was $1000, but a partial lease is $250 a month and full lease $400 a month.  Here is the actual ad text...

"Diesel is a sweet in you pocket 4 year old gelding turning 5 in the spring. He is 14.3 - 15 hh and is a super easy keeper. He has great feet and up a date on all of his shots, he loads like a dream. Anyone can ride him on the trail, my 9 year old takes him out by herself, he is a babysitter on the trail. I have yet to find anything that spooks this horse. He has been shown in 4-H western and the DLSC in ground poles and cross rails. He would make a great barrel horse as well. i am also open to an on site lease at Greenstone Stables, full lease $400 and partial for $250, this will include two lessons a month if you like. We run dslc hunter showes at your barn and would be great for anyone wanting to get into horse riding of any kind."

So there you go!  I showed Megan and she seemed to think the ad looked good.  So she said she would check him out with me.  I got in contact with the owner, Nate, and he seems very nice.  He has daughters that ride the horse.  He says he's got 6 horses and this one is hardly ever ridden so he wants to either sell or lease.  He basically said with supplemental lessons, this horse would be fine for me and my experience.  

Also, Greenstone Stables in Germantown is apparently a great place to board, according to Megan.  I checked out their website and it appears very nice and is only 20 minutes away.

I am interested in leasing "Diesel" (don't like his name very much...).  I may start with a partial lease, and if I want to do a full lease or buy in the future, I can.  I was on the phone with the owner tonight and had the door shut, my mom comes in and freaks out and I make her leave.  When I'm done on the phone I go talk to her and she just gets upset and says I'm putting the cart before the horse because I don't really have money at this point and will get my first check this week.

I'm annoyed.

I think I can easily afford the $250 a month.  I am supposed to be working full-time, and even if I were to only get 25 hours a week I should still have enough.  I mean, she has a point, I guess.  Maybe it's good to save a little money before I start, but at the same time, I remember how good it felt mentally to be active and riding horses.  I need more activity and exercise in my life.  I truly believe, as I've stated before, that horseback riding is good for me, both physically, mentally and emotionally. 

Megan may come with me to check Diesel out this week, probably Thursday or Sunday.  I will have to check my work schedule first and double check with both Nate (the owner) and Megan first.  I really hope I can see him!

A Random Post

I've been staring at this blog for a while, admiring how many posts I have so far, and wanting to write more, but I don't really have anything horse-related to talk about at the moment!  So I'm just going to start this random post and see where it goes.

Firstly, I did contact Kate back and told her I would be interested in leasing.  Unfortunately, by the time I got back to her, he was already leased.  That was quick!  I was disappointed.  It's like the cheapest lease option ever.

I'm currently on Facebook chatting with some friends and drinking my Diet Coke (which I'm addicted to, by the way...LOL!)  I was supposed to hang out with a friend today but I don't think it's going to happen.  I don't work today, either, so I really don't have much to do.  I really wish I could be out riding.  Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury at the moment.

Sooo....now what to talk about...LOL.

A Slow Start...

My "full-time" job at McDonald's is at a rather slow start.  I only totalled about 9 hours the first week, and I'll only get 22 hours or less this week.  I still plan on starting lessons with Amber again and have been in contact with her, I just need to get a pay check or two first.

Just for the record, McDonald's is not a very nice place to work.  I know this because I worked at a different McDonald's previously and it wasn't a very pleasant experience.  But I'm doing it again because I need the money and I know I can rely on them to get decent hours.  Besides, I already know how to do a lot.  The people are god awful though...

In other news, Skip is up for lease again.  (Kate texted me to let me know.)  That's only $150 a month.  So that might be an option in addition to lessons.  We'll just have to see once the cash starts rolling in.  I hope he isn't taken before then.

I haven't been on the Horse Forum much as I am busy with other things (such as moderating the parrot forum I'm on) but I'm going to try to be more active.

Not much more horsey news here.  Over and out!

I Really Want Him...

There's been this halflinger for sale for a few months (the seller hasn't been super motivated from what I'm seeing) and she's just lowered the price a bit. (From $1,200 to $900).  I love halflingers; they are gorgeous, small and sturdy.  I've talked to his owner off and on and he seems like a real good horse, and would fit my situation perfectly.  I really want him, and I'm considering going to check him out.  The owner, Beth, might wait until I have my money together and then sell him to me, so there is a chance I could get him.  Just thought I'd let you all know.

Back on Track

Was trying to stay away from horses as I was looking for a new job.  Money would just be so scarce and I probably couldn't be consistent with lessons or anything.  Then I got a full-time job at McDonald's, and my orientation for it is tomorrow.  I built up the courage to basically ask Amber if she would take me back, and she said she will!  I'm so thrilled.  I simply don't want to live without horses somewhere in my life.  As I've said before, something about them draws me in.  And something about them makes me feel better, as a lot of time I am down in the dumps.

So, I'm going to tell Amber that I'm waiting for my first pay check and at that point I can begin.  I really want to take two lessons a week.  She says that there are a few horses she knows of that I can pay to ride whenever I go to ride, but that I need to be in a consistent lesson program first, which is fine by me. (Even though I really prefer a lease, or owning.)

Things seem like they are finally get back on track.  We'll see!

Haven't Really Gotten Anywhere...

As the title of this entry states, I haven't really gotten anywhere with getting back into horses.  Very discouraged at the moment, and I'm unsure of what to do. 

Centerville Equestrian Center

I might have mentioned Centerville Equestrian Center before, it is a fairly new place to my understanding (as it was in the newspaper when it opened just a few months ago).  I had emailed them previously asking about lessons, but since I started back up with Amber, I never followed through on meeting them or anything.  But since Amber most likely will never give me lessons again, if I want lessons, I will have to find somewhere new.

They charge $40 per hour for a private lesson.  That's $10 cheaper than Amber, but still expensive.  I'm hoping it's worth it, as the $50 per hour with Amber was definitely worth it since she was so knowledgeable.  I don't know the instructor, and even though it says on their website that she is good (obviously, what else would they say?) I don't know that.  A friend of mine suggested that I sit in on a lesson and meet the instructor before signing up for any lessons.  I think that is a fabulous idea.  I've just emailed them asking if I could do just that, and so I'm waiting to hear back. 

I really don't want to have to give up on horses altogether.  It's so good for me - I was feeling SO much better when I was finally riding again.  It gave me more purpose, made me feel like I was being productive, gave me exercise, I socialized with more people.  It simply got me out of the house.  And after all that's happened recently, I could really use the positive-ness that horses bring.

Sorry about being so down lately.  I'm just really not feeling good about life right now.  Hopefully things will start looking up again for me soon.

It's not over.

Where have I been, you ask?

Having a terrible, terrible time at life.

Everything has just been seeming to go absolutely wrong.  I won't get into too much detail with things not horse-related; it will stress me out, and you probably don't want to hear about it anyway.  So, with the horses... everything was going fantastic!  I began the lease, I was cleaning out Jade's stall every day and riding and petting her and spending time with her.  It was absolutely fantastic and I couldn't have felt better about it all.  I was so in love with her!

And then I was let go of my job literally smack dab in the middle of the week.  Like, really?  Come on, that's not in any way fair or right!  Especially since I didn't do anything wrong.  They didn't even give me a reason.  And, they owed me $150 at least.  They said they'd mail it.  Never got it.

So basically, I decided I was done with horses.  I felt like I tried so damn hard at this, and things were finally going in a great direction.  I was feeling so good and proud about EVERYTHING, I was feeling healthy and happy and productive.  For once, the horse thing was working out.  I was so dedicated.  And then this happens, and I have no way of affording the board!  The board is expensive!  I couldn't count on my parents to pay that. 

So, I was forced to text Amber that I couldn't do it anymore.  I hadn't signed any lease papers yet, but apparently we had a "verbal agreement" and she was originally going to force me to pay for the first month's board anyway, even though I told her I have literally no money.  She was pissed, but so was I.  I tried to explain to her that, I tried my hardest, and what happened is not fair but not anybody's fault.  But that wasn't good enough.  It's all my fault apparently. 

I let down so many people, and now that barn is mad at me, and I have this feeling I can never really go back to Conference for anything.  I doubt Amber will ever give me lessons again, I doubt Wendy will let me board there.

Devastation.  That's what I felt.

I gave up pretty much.  Other things were happening in my life, including a break up.  (It's very, very complicated and I refuse to explain much about it here.  It might not be permanent; in fact, it probably won't be.  But Eddy is very, very ill, and needs to focus on his own health.)  I had no job, wasn't doing any school.  Was just sitting at home doing nothing all day, heartbroken, wishing I could ride horses, wishing I had something to do.  I cried a lot.

Fortunately, things are starting to look better for me.  I just got a job at Cold Stone Creamery and have already worked two days.  In addition, I may be applying at Kroger where I believe I have a high possibility of getting a job at.  (The only reason I would apply to Kroger is because Cold Stone is not super busy in the colder seasons and I would like more than 20 or 25 hours a week, which is all they can really give me at this point.)

I'm feeling better, still having a lot of down moments but I know things can only improve.  I literally had felt like things could absolutely not get any worse.  And now I'm finally getting out of the house, making money, and looking towards a brighter future.

That brings me to more horse related stuff.  Now that I'm making money again, there is a possibility I can get back into horses.  I probably can't have anything to do with Conference or Possum Creek, but those aren't the only stables around here.  Right now, I'm searching on Craigslist and the internet for other stables that might have lease, or lessons, or volunteer opportunities for me.  So at this point I don't know how, but I really want back into horses.

Will let you know what opportunities I find.

I met Jade!

Today... I met and rode Jade! <3

I'm in love! 

She's definitely a sassy and feisty girl, but Amber said it's because something about how the current owner treats her and has treated her.  Amber said she knew Jade before the current owner had her, and she was much sweeter then.  Amber says she just needs some love, which I can definitely give!

I took a ton of pictures, but they all turned out pretty crappy because it was in a stall and it was weird lighting and whatnot.

Riding her was just fabulous.  I loved riding her. Compared to Lexi, she was great!  Also, she's a lot nicer to ride than I remember Matt being.  We still have stuff to work on, but with Amber's help, I'm positive we'll make a great team.  Amber agreed that it went well.  I liked that she is smaller.  She felt lighter, I liked the way it felt to ride her.  I liked her... gaits?  Is that the term I'd use?  I'm not too great with the horsey terms... 

So, what we're doing is I'm starting the lease tomorrow, the 15th.  This month I will only have to pay half of the lease, which is fine.  And then I'll do a full month next month.  It'll be a month to month lease, with the requirement of a 30 day notice to end it on both ends.  I'll begin cleaning the stall immediately, and of course, I'm going riding tomorrow.  I have tack to borrow and brushes/grooming supplies to borrow.  I even have my own place in one of the tack rooms!  I'm extremely thrilled.

Monday and Volunteering

Monday -  Will be trying out Honey AKA Jade!  Amber is having me do a lesson on her to see what she is like and get a feel for her, see if she's the one to lease.  It'll be at 12:45pm.  I absolutely can't wait to meet her!  I'm already in love with her, just seeing her picture, and imagining her being mine! (Or almost mine...)

Volunteering - I don't think I will be volunteering at Possum Creek anymore.  It's thirty minutes away and it's too early to be waking up on the weekend mornings when I don't have to.  They have plenty of help, and I'm going to be cleaning out a stall every day once I start leasing.  So, yeah.  It was good while it lasted!

Jade

Amber just texted me with another option.  Apparently there is another horse at the barn named Jade, and Jade's owner has been trying to sell her for about a year now.  They really want someone else to be paying board, and Amber thought it would be a good horse as the horse is in shape and needs less work than Matt. And then Lucinda doesn't have to move any horses and whatnot.  I think it's a great idea.  Amber said they showed Jade in Spring and she did great.  I trust Amber and so if she thinks this is a better option, I think so, too.

Here is a photo of Jade.  I think she's extremely cute!  She's an 8 year old quarter horse, 15 hands.

As everyone knows, it is my dream to have a horse of my own, so if everything works out with this lease, I would love to buy her.  Amber had that idea as well.  I think I would definitely name her Honey then!  I might start secretly calling her Honey anyways...haha.

Still texting Amber about her, will update when I find out more!

Stressed

This week I did not have a lesson. My migraine was so bad I just couldn't do.  I felt really bad about having to cancel (and paying $50 for nothing) but I was not going to ride a horse with a headache that bad.  I get headaches a lot.  I did go there intending on doing the lesson, but just couldn't do it, so I left. But I did get pictures of Lexi to show you.

Amber let me borrow that dressage book she was talking about.  I haven't gotten a chance to read it but will begin soon.

So, I'm extremely stressed at the moment.  Somehow my PayPal took from my bank account when there was no funds in there, and so I was overdrawn and there were a ton of fees and whatnot.  I was supposed to pay that last week, but I wasn't paid until Monday, and when I finally got my cash I LOST IT.  I've been so upset.  Now there are going to be even more fees, they might send me to collections, etc.  Ughhhh!

Now I'm behind in my funds and will probably have to wait longer to lease.  I'm nervous about having to tell Lucinda and Amber that it will be longer because they will probably see that as me being flaky and whatnot.  I don't want to appear that way!  I'm serious about this!

Just extremely stressed and down right now.

Plans for this Week

Lucinda invited me over to her place on Sunday so I could check out her new construction on the barn and pet/groom Matty.  I'm pumped to see him, as I haven't seen him in a long time.  He's a good boy.

I also have a lesson tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8pm, after I babysit.  Very excited!  According to my friend Erica, Lexi was not a lesson horse in the past, and she was just plain crazy!  But they have been working with her a lot, and I can tell.  She's obviously now rideable and a lesson horse.  Amber says she will not buck or any of that stuff, so that's good.  (Would not be riding her if she did!)  Like I've said before, though, she is pushy and big.  I'll have to get a picture of her next time!

 I also volunteer, of course, on Saturday and Sunday.

I feel like I should post.

I feel like I haven't posted in a while and I should post.  I don't have much to say.  I volunteered at PCS this morning and followed the same girl around as last time.  It was good.  I like it because it doesn't quite feel like work.  I feel like I'm helping out and it's not too long or too tiring or anything.  I'm looking forward to when I can volunteer without having to follow somebody around the whole time.  I wish I knew exactly what to do and how things worked.  I suppose it will just take some time.

Not sure when I have my lesson this week, I'll have to check with Amber.

Third Lesson

Today, I finally had my third lesson!  (The time between getting to ride seems SO LONG!)  Today's lesson also felt like it went pretty well.  We are still working on foundational stuff, which we'll probably be doing for a while.  Today, towards the end of the lesson, she put me and Lexi (I've been spelling Lexi's name wrong, it's Lexi not Lexxi) on a lunge line and had me post trotting, two-point, and sitting trot without reins, and a little bit without stirrups.  Amber wants me to get a better, stronger seat.  I'm leaning forward a lot, and then when the horse pulls or something happens, I fall forward.  And like most riders, we found I was relying on my stirrups too much and when we took the stirrups away, when worked on using my legs to post, etc.  It's a lot, and seems a little overwhelming remembering everything, but I'll get it down eventually!  Besides, I believe there's always room to improve, no matter what level you're at. 

Amber says the book I bought for dressage is a bit complicated, and I noticed that when I tried to read it, so she has a book that she's going to let me borrow that's a bit simpler and focuses more on the rider, and I'm excited to read that.

I also met another boarder at Conference today.  Her name is Connie and she's very kind.  While I waited for Amber to arrive for the lesson, I talked to her while she was cleaning out her stall.  She told me about her horse and history with riding and horses, and I told her about mine, and leasing Matt and such.

I'm not sure when my next lesson will be, I'll have to talk to Amber about that.

October 18th

October 18th is the day I will begin my lease.  Matt will be moved to Conference, and I will get to ride him whenever I please!  I will begin using him during lessons as well.  Both me and Lucinda are very excited, and if Matt knew, I bet he'd be excited, too.  He's a great horse, needs a little work (according to Amber) but he's great.  I'm beyond excited and beyond pleased with how this is turning out. Yahoo!

I have some goods news, and I have some bad news...

I have some good news, and I have some bad news.  Which do you want first?  Let's go with the bad news, and get that out of the way.  (Even though I'm just DYING to tell you the good news!)  The bad news is Amber had to reschedule today's lesson because she was buying herself a car or something.  So I think it will be tomorrow instead.  I was actually pretty disappointed...

The good news is... I heard from Lucinda, and she said that I can lease Matt at Conference! Yippee! I am so incredibly excited.  So when I take lessons, I will take the lessons riding him, and when I go out to ride on my own, I will be riding him as well.  I will get a ton of additional practice from this, and perhaps become an expert on how to ride Matt.  (For I was struggling to get control over him the last time I rode him.)  Or maybe not... LOL.

My goal is if things go well with Matt, that eventually I can purchase him myself.  I can't remember if I've told you anything about Matt before, but he's some sort of Morgan mix I think (Lucinda had said something about warmblood? I'm so confused! Haha!) and he's approx. 16hh.  I leased him before at Lucinda's property.  I secretly want to rename him to Dakota, but I doubt that will fly unless he's my own.  He's a very handsome boy, about 16 or 17 years old I believe, so a little bit on the old side...But not as old as Travis, who I also used to lease and who is also Lucinda's!  He's like 23 or 24 or something.

I have to check with Lucinda that I will have English tack to use.  If I were to lease Skip, I would be willing to purchase my own English tack to use on him.  But that's if I'm only spending $150 a month on the lease.  Now I will be spending $450 on the lease every month.  That's a lot of cash.  I can set money aside for tack but it will take a while to actually be able to afford any tack, and of course I am still in need of boots and a helmet, and I still have to set some money aside for my parents and for gas.... Ughhh!  I hate money! Ponies should just be free!

I won't be able to immediately lease Matt, but I am determined to lease him.  I need to save up a few weeks' worth of cash first, and then I can begin.  I think Lucinda is skeptical that I will continue the lease as she insisted that I at least do a full month's lease.  I plan on doing more than that, but I'm telling her I will definitely do at least a full month.

Also, I must talk to my parents about all of this.  Even though it is my money, I doubt they will want me spending so much on the horses.  They will probably insist I need to be saving for other things.  Which is understandable.  But we'll see.  Maybe they'll happen to be supportive.

So overall, I'd say I'm having a really great day!  Mainly because of Lucinda's message, but also I'm just feeling awesome.  Oh yeah! And I met a new "horsey-friend" on the horse forum.  We've been chatting on Facebook, and I'm happy to be able to talk horses with somebody new.  So this is a shout-out to her!

Pictured below is Matty.

Dressage Book

I purchased a dressage book on the Nook app on my phone.  Amber suggested that I read up on dressage as much as I can, so I have background information before I go in to lessons so I know what she is talking about.  Although there are a lot of dressage books out there, I heard good things about this book, so I went with this one.

I'm starting to read it but struggling a bit to understand exactly what it means.  I think if I keep pushing through and reading it, eventually I'll understand some bits and pieces and it will make sense and apply to my lessons. 

Switching to Mondays

Because of my babysitting gig, I've switched my lessons from Wednesdays at 5 to Mondays at 12:45.  That means tomorrow I will get to ride... Yay!  I've never been so thrilled about riding horses before.  This whole thing is going really well in my opinion. 

Second Day of Volunteering

This morning I did my second day of volunteering at Possum Creek Stables.  It went well!  At least better than the first day  I liked the girl who was showing me how to do everything.  I got a lot more instruction today.  We cleaned out stalls, fed and watered.  Just the usual stuff.  I'm actually really enjoying it. I will only be volunteering on weekends now that I am babysitting during the weekdays.  I'm assuming it's Saturday morning and Sunday morning, but I will have to check with Elaine to be sure.

No Skip

Unfortunately, Skip is currently being leased by someone else.  Kate finally responded and told me.  I'm disappointed as that would have been a really good deal, but I'm sure there will be other options.  I messaged Lucinda and asked her if I could lease Matt. We'll see what's going on there.  Even though it would be expensive, I think it would be worth the money to get the extra practice.  And if I lease Matt, he'll most likely be at Conference and therefore will be extremely close to me.  (Possum Creek is about 30 minutes away, Conference is less than 10.)  Still haven't heard from Lucinda, so we'll see...

Still No Reply...

I still haven't heard from Kate yet.  Since last time I leased, I didn't stick with it for very long, I am wondering if she is just ignoring me.  As rude as that sounds, I do understand.  I would really like to lease a horse of some kind, but there are very few ads on Craigslist for horses to lease.  I could ask Lucinda to lease one of her horses again (either Travis or Matt) but, one, I'm not sure if she'd let me, and two, she'd only have me do it at Conference, which costs $450 a month I believe.  That's extremely, extremely expensive.  And although I could afford it with my babysitting job, then I couldn't afford much else....

Leasing Skip Again? Maybe?

A while back, I leased a horse (Skip) from a woman named Kate at Possum Creek Stables.  He was a great horse, 8 years old (can't remember what kind of horse he is) but the problem was I didn't know what to do with him when I rode him.  The lease was great.  It was only $150 a month for full lease.  I didn't have to worry about any vet bills, nothing.  I could ride whenever I wanted.  Another was that Kate didn't have any English tack available for me to use, so I had to borrow Megan's when I rode. 

So, I was thinking of leasing him again.  This time, I would actually know what to do with my time because I would have instruction from Amber as to what to practice, etc.  And I would get to ride whenever I wanted!  I also thought about actually buying English tack for him.  If I sign up for a six month lease, I think it will be worth it to buy some tack to use instead of having to borrow others the whole time.  As long as my current babysitting job stays in place, I should be able to afford lessons, lease, and have extra cash for tack and other supplies.

I asked Megan for her number as I no longer had it, and I just texted her.  Hopefully we will receive a response soon!

I Want It!

Been looking at different horse products, and was looking at apparel and accessories. I came across this vest that I'm totally in love with!  It's so adorable! It would be great for riding on a chilly day.  Just thought I'd share it all with you.  Maybe eventually I'll be able to afford it.

Found Boots and a Helmet

I'm already pretty much out of money at this point as I gave some to my parents (owe them money for backing up into a car... Oops!)  and the rest was used on food for me and my boyfriend, Eddy.  So next paycheck I should be able to afford either the boots or the helmet I want.

Here is the helmet I want.  It's cheap, looks nice, and was suggested to me by someone on the Horse Forum. http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Ovation_Deluxe_Schooler_Riding_Helmet/descpage-ODSH.html

 

Then I found some boots that I absolutely LOVE.  They appear to be pretty fantastic, but I think they will work really well for what I need.  They are a tad expensive, but I think it will be worth the extra cash in the long run. http://www.amazon.com/Original-MuckBoots-Adult-Hi-Cut-Boot/dp/B000WH2KCC/?tag=viglink121614-20

 

I can't wait to place my order and get these!  Will let you know when I finally do!

First Day of Volunteering

I volunteered at 5pm today at Possum Creek. It went okay. I brought in the forms I signed and I was hoping to hand them over to Elaine but I didn't really see her, so I just left them in the tack room.  Basically, I followed around this girl for the whole time and watched her work.  She showed me a little bit of what I'm supposed to do, but mainly I just watched her.  I didn't get much direction.  Hopefully next time I will learn more, and eventually I'll be able to do things on my own.  I think this whole experience will be very good for me.

Boots and a Helmet

I used to have a helmet, the only one I've ever owned, and I really liked it.  It was comfortable and fit right.  Unfortunately, when I leased at Lucinda's property, I left it there once and after construction to the barn, they lost it.  Which is totally my fault, not theirs. I shouldn't have left it there in the first place.

So, I need a new helmet!  One that's nice and comfortable, as the ones they have at Conference are old, gross and uncomfy.  I really wish I just had my old one so I wouldn't have to put valuable money towards a helmet, but at the same time helmets are quite valuable themselves, as they protect you.

I also would like to get some boots for volunteering at Possum Creek. I want durable, waterproof, and warm boots that I can afford to get dirty and whatnot.  Taking care of horses is a dirty business, LOL!  With all the mud and poo and water everywhere.  I don't really have anything else to wear, and my riding boots are good for riding, not working around the barn.

So, I need some new boots, too!

I've been shopping around on some websites.  I just got paid for babysitting for two days, so I have enough cash to get one of the two items with some cash left over to afford some lessons in case something goes wrong and I don't have a source of income for some reason.

I think I will first get boots, mostly because I'm more excited for those but also because I can use Conference's helmets while I wait to get my own.  While volunteering, if it rains or something  beforehand, it will be really nice to have something waterproof and durable and comfortable to wear.

I'm currently on horseforum.com and I'm asking opinions on good boots and helmets.  Once I figure out what I'm going to get, I'll let you know!

Horse Forum

I have to say, I LOVE forums! I find them so useful and helpful and I love chatting about things I love. I'm even a moderator on a forum.  There is a wonderful horse forum that I'm on that I'd like to share with whoever reads this blog.  You should definitely check it out.  I don't have many posts, but I'm learning a lot.  Whenever I have a horse related question, I can go on there and ask it and get a pretty quick answer.  It's really nice, so check it out!

http://www.horseforum.com

Second Lesson

I just got finished with my second lesson with Amber.  I feel great!  Well, my legs and butt don't necessarily feel great, but I feel great about how it went.  We worked on leg yields. According to Amber, Lexxi, the draft I'm riding, is big so she's pretty pushy, on the ground and when I ride her.  I can completely see this.  So, whenever we get to the end of the arena, Lexxi was trying to turn around and mess me up.  (I don't really know how to describe a lot of this... basically, she was testing me. She can tell I don't exactly know what I'm doing and can take advantage of that.)  So to keep her on the rail, I have to use my leg in the correct way.  Amber had me come to a halt beside her, and had me try to move her with her using her hind legs only.  So I would kick her or use leg pressure, but without her moving forward or moving backward. Just sort of moving in a circle around Amber, just moving to the side using her hind legs.  It was difficult, but after a few tries I was able to do it pretty well, at least on the right side.  Amber told me to try to incorporate this into my riding, so that when she would try to be off the rail or whatever, I can get her to move back to the rail and she knows I'm in charge, etc.  By the end of the lesson I felt good about what I was doing, and I could feel that with the little work we had done I was already having more control over the horse.

This definitely reminds me of when I used to take lessons.  I would have a good lesson, and a bad lesson, and okay lesson, a frustrating lesson.  I feel differently after every lesson, and that's just how it goes.  Some days will be better than others.  Today was one of those good days, while the first lesson was a bit more frustrating.

I had asked Amber what I can do at home to improve lessons, and to get further in my training. She said I should read as much as possible about dressage.  (That's pretty much what we're doing, to get a good foundation.)  So that's what I plan on doing!  She says that it's hard to go over everything during my 45 minutes of riding once a week, so if I read about it and have background knowledge about what she's talking about, it will be easier to move forward, which makes perfect sense!

So far, I think things are going really well with this new horse venture. I like that I am taking things slow, and working hard to do as best as I can with the little I'm doing.  Eventually, I want to lease or buy again.  The more I'm thinking about it though (I know I just made a post about wanting to buy a horse...) the more I think going slow is the best option.  Yes, I will save my money for a horse.  But when I will actually buy one, I'm not sure.  Maybe it will be in a few months, or maybe in a few years.  We'll see.  My mom's not convinced that I'm committed quite yet; I'm surprised she's paying for half my lessons!  But I'll show her that I'm serious about riding, because I am.  Amber can tell, and I'm thankful for that.  She seems a lot more serious about helping me, and I'm a lot more serious about improving and doing well.

My plans right now are to try and volunteer, take lessons, and expose myself to the world of horses as much as possible.  If something comes up in regards to buying a horse, then it does and I'll be happy.  But I'll also be happy with what I'm doing right now.  Some people dream of horses and don't get to ever even ride a horse, I'm fortunate that I can.

I can't wait for next week's lesson.  I'm going to read up on dressage as much as I can, and start those exercises I mentioned before, and hopefully next week's lesson will go smoothly as well.

Future Plans

I have been thinking about future plans with horses.  Of course, I would love to have my own horse.  But it's not so simple.  You need money, and lots of it, to be able to afford a horse.  I saw an estimate once - it costs around $2500 to keep a horse every year.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I'm sure it's around that range!

On Sunday I got a babysitting/nanny job, one in which I will be making approx. $200 per week.  That's $800 per month.  If I save for a few months, and don't spend any of it (that's the luxury with living with parents - no bills!) I might be able to afford a horse, a couple months of board, and have an emergency fund of some sort.  I think it's a good plan, but I also have to consider... Do I really want to commit to a horse?  Of course I do!  I mean, of course I would like to but is it a practical thing to do at the moment?  If I were to move out soon, it would be extremely difficult to keep a horse and be able to pay bills, etc.

But the thing is, I'm not moving out soon.  No where soon, at least I don't think.  I'm no where near ready to move out, and my parents are supportive of that.  Maybe eventually I will have to pay some rent, but I think until I was financially stable enough to afford both a horse and house/apartment, I could stick with the 'rents.

I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me, and say that I am wrong for putting my money towards a horse at this point.  And I hate to use this reference, but... YOLO! Hahaha.

Plans for This Week

This week's "horse schedule" is as follows: on Wednesday I have a lesson with Amber at Conference, and on Thursday I volunteer at Possum Creek.  For the past week I've been craving to get back on a horse, so I can't wait for tomorrow.  And there's no way I will miss volunteering as it's at 5pm, so I don't have to rely on my stupid alarm to wake me up or anything.

SMH...

SMH...My alarm did not go off this morning and I missed my first day of volunteering at Possum Creek.  I feel like a total jerk and horrible person.  This crap always happens!  (I'm pretty upset, if you can't tell.)  I emailed Elaine and let her know of what happened and apologized, but I still have not heard from her.  I really hope she's not angry with me and that she will still let me volunteer.  We had just been talking the day before how she needs volunteers to be responsible with their schedules, and then this happens! Ugh!!

New Horse Books

Today I went to 2nd and Charles and I got two new horse books to add to my horsey book collection.  I got Everyday Trail Riding by Eliza R. L. McGraw, and Horsekeeping on Small Acreage by Cherry Hill.  For both of them, I spent less than $20! What a deal!  Can't wait to read them.  (The other books I have in my horsey book collection is Horses for Dummies, Horseback Riding for Dummies, and Storey's Guide to Training Horses.)

This Morning

This morning I went to Possum Creek Stables to meet with Elaine. Basically, she just explained what would be required of me as a volunteer.  There's mucking, turning horses in and out, feeding, watering, all of that fun stuff.  And then she gave me a liability form to sign which I will bring back tomorrow. I think I will be volunteering Sunday mornings and Monday nights.  So I start tomorrow.  As usual, I'm excited!  I'm excited to be around the horses and be out of the house, and I'm excited to meet and get to know new people.  I think this experience will be good for me.

Sore!

I am so sore!  I couldn't imagine I'd ever be this sore after riding.  I am so out of shape and I was using muscles that I hadn't used in a very long time.  My inner thighs hurt the most, and my butt!  LOL.  Hopefully, I won't feel so sore after a few lessons.  And I've decided I'm going to work on building up my muscle strength outside of the lessons as well, so it'll make riding easier.  The only thing I'm lacking to do such is motivation.  I've been so lazy lately!  I'm thinking a short jog every morning or most mornings, and before and after the jog I will work on the specific stretching/exercises that work out the specific muscles I will be using.  There were nice exercises listed in my book Horseback Riding for Dummies which I plan to follow.  And I've always really struggled keeping my heels down and I was told of an exercise you can do on the stairs that stretches your ankles/heels down.  I plan on doing that a TON, because I really don't want Amber to keep having to say "heels down!" every two seconds!

I'm still planning on going to Possum Creek Stables tomorrow morning to meet with Elaine. I hope this will go well.  The last few times I've been there while leasing Skip, I got some odd stares from people who didn't recognize me. So I'm hoping to possibly meet some new friends and get to know all the people at the stables.  They are also considerably cheaper there when it comes to boarding, so if I were to ever board a horse, I would most likely do it there.

Will let you know how tomorrow goes!  I can't wait for the soreness to go away.

First Riding Lesson

My first day back at the barn went well!  It was so nice to be around horses again.  It was even better to get to ride.  I was happy to see Amber again, and I think overall we had a pretty good lesson.  I'm very sore, as I'm not used to riding! 

We worked on having control over the horse.  It was really difficult to keep control.  Focusing on what to do with my legs, the reins, how I was sitting, my heels, etc. And then of course my posture, which is probably horrible right now!  I was all over the place, my posting on the trot was awful.  There was a lot of things I forgot, not to mention how out of shape I was! It was a little warm, but I was sweating like crazy.  So basically, I have a lot to work on. LOL. I was slightly frustrated.

But, I really enjoyed the lesson!  I told Amber how I was feeling about everything, how I really wanted to try hard and get the most out of the lessons I could and be the best that I could be.  She was impressed and said my attitude had really seemed to change since the last time we were doing lessons together.  Which it has!

I can't wait for next week's lesson.  I'm going to work some of my muscles that I will be using in horseback riding over the next week and hopefully riding will gradually get easier.  I was reading up in one of my horse books about specific exercises that I can perform to work muscles that are used in riding, including legs, arms, and abs.

Update on Possum Creek

I finally heard back from Possum Creek Stables!  Elaine (owner) wants me to come Saturday morning at 8am to see what the volunteers do and figure out a schedule.  I'm thrilled! 

I Start Tomorrow

My first riding lesson is officially tomorrow at 5pm with Amber at Conference School of Horsemanship.

My parents have agreed to pay for half of each lesson. They are expensive, and I do not currently have an official job.  I'm extremely excited!  I've been reading through my horse books, looking at horse videos online, etc., trying to refresh my memory on how to do stuff and so hopefully tomorrow will go well and I will get a lot out of it.  (My goal is to get as much out of the lessons as I can, so if that means I have to work on little stuff at home, I will.)

Eventually, I'd really like to lease a horse again, that, or buy one.  It's always been my dream to own a horse of my own.  But I have to be committed, and of course, if I want to own, I have to be much more financially ready than I am.  Horses are EXPENSIVE.  All aspects of horses and horseback riding are.  It's just how it is.

I can't wait for tomorrow's lesson.  I can't wait to be around horses again, smell that wonderful barn smell, and get to ride.  I'm sure I will have forgotten most of the stuff I have learned in the past but like I said, I'm hoping tomorrow will be a good refresher so we can get going with more advanced stuff.

I plan on working on a lot of dressage, and perhaps a little bit of jumping in the future. I really want to have a good riding foundation.  I want to learn proper habits when it comes to posture, effective communication with the horse, etc.  I heard this is best done while learning dressage.

I also want to learn all the aspects when it comes to horses, including horse care, health, nutrition, horse "lingo", horse tack, all that good stuff.  I want to be as knowledgeable as I can.  I felt in my past lessons I did not learn much about anything but riding, so I will definitely let Amber know that I want to be taught things that aren't JUST riding so I'm familiar with it all.  Like, for example, I could tack up a horse - groom the horse, put the saddle and bridle on correctly, but that's all I knew how to do. I knew nothing about the actual bridle or saddle, what things were called, what their specific uses were, reasons for things.  That's what I want to find out!

Tomorrow I'll let you all know how it went!  :)  Hopefully, it will be a good and productive lesson.

Still Waiting...

I have been waiting for a response from Possum Creek Stables about volunteering.  I'm a little frustrated at the moment.  I did, however, get in contact with Amber from Conference School of Horsemanship about taking riding lessons again.  She said it was perfect timing because a student of hers is going from 2 days a week to 1 day, and so she will have a slot open on Wednesdays.  I talked to my mom about splitting the costs, and she says she would like me to save up some money first.  I will talk to her again about it as I'm afraid Amber's open spot will be taken if I don't take it.

Lessons

I was thinking that lessons, in addition to volunteering, would be another good way to ease back into the horseback riding.  That way, I'm given instruction by people who know what they're doing, and I'll know that what I'm doing is right.  Also - it's a lot cheaper than leasing or buying. 

So when it comes to lessons I have a few options.  Actually, a lot of options - some of which I don't even know about!  My first possible option would be to go back to the trainer I used to have.  Her name was Amber and she was fabulous.  It would be at Conference School of Horsemanship.  She really does know what she's doing, and I would know for sure that I was learning correctly.  However, her lessons are expensive.  It's $50 per hour.  Last time I talked to her, she said she was changing up her program, and giving lessons to people who were "serious about their riding" (whatever that means) so I don't know if this means that she won't take me in, or what.  I would like to do one to two lessons a week with her.  I messaged her on Facebook and am waiting to hear back from her to see what she says.

Another option, which leads to "sub-options" would be to go some place completely new and take lessons from a new trainer.  That would possibly be less expensive, depending on where I went.  I found a place called "Centerville Equestrian Center" that does hour-long lessons for only $40 per hour.  I don't know much about them but they seem like a nice facility.  I also emailed them and asked a few questions, and asked about meeting the trainer and seeing the facility, the horses, etc. I could always research more places if this specific place doesn't seem like a good fit.

I want to be careful at making this decision. I want it to be worth my money.  Horseback riding is not a cheap hobby, that's for sure!

Volunteering at Possum Creek

I decided one of the easiest, and not to mention cheapest ways to get back into the rhythm of things when it comes to horses is to volunteer.  I was looking at leasing and lessons as well, but I think this is the best option.  There is a place called Possum Creek Stables.  My doctor boards his horse there as well as my good friend Megan.  I also leased a horse there at one time (Skip).  They take volunteers ages 12 and up and have AM and PM chores for all the volunteers to do, there are set schedules, etc. (It seems to be very organized.)  I have been interested in it in the past but never started, but today I emailed Possum Creek Stables and asked them if I could volunteer PM.  I'm hoping to hear back from them soon.  They do have a very nice facility and I would love to help out.

We Will Try This Once Again

I've been into horses (leasing, taking riding lessons, etc.) on and off for about a decade.  I have tried so many times to get back into horseback riding in the past few recent years, but it always ends in failure, usually due to money and lack of motivation and whatnot.  But there's something about horses and riding horses and being around horses that makes me feel like it's where I'm meant to be, and what I'm meant to be doing.  It's so good for me, in lots of ways, and I don't think it would hurt to try once again easing myself back into it.  But for real this time!  I'm determined to stick with it, no matter how frustrated I get, no matter how hard it might be.  Because I know that in the long run it will be worth it. :)