I went into work to clean the fish tank out. I'm in charge or raising Salmon, and I'm pretty sure I should quit teaching and go into farming fish. According to the paperwork I got with the eggs, they should be hatching this week or next. They hatched January 11th and are about 2 inches long. Needless to say they put a lot of stress on the tank, but I don't want to release them yet. They are fun and I'm pretty proud that this is my first year in charge of the tank, and also the first year the eggs hatched.
Remind me to tell the story of my classroom when I taught middle school. Short synopsis: 2 guinea pigs turned into 13 VERY quickly.
Anyway, I was a nervous wreck all day. I don't know why. I've been like that all week. I left work an hour and a half early for my lesson. Yep. An hour and a half. I stopped and bought some coffee, decided to pay for the guy behind me, and ended up having a very nice chat with a very nice old man. He was counting out his change to buy a coffee, I couldn't help it. I'm a sucker for grandparents. He was going bird watching, and was pretty excited about it. I like doing nice things for people, random acts of kindness make me happy.
That still left me with an hour, but I left anyway. Turns out I'm glad I did. I thought I knew where the stable was. I even envisioned it in my head. Turns out I was totally off. Since my GPS was stolen I had to rely on the handy maps. I got to my lesson with 10 minutes to spare.
I really liked the arena, indoor with amazing footing. I rode a QH who was once National Champion for Halter. He was pretty, and he was safe. Just what I like. My instructor was really good. She said a lot of things that helped what I already know click. I signed up for three more lessons, but that's going to be it. I can't afford more than that. My husband already puts up with the horse. He's amazing and understanding, but not THAT understanding.
I have another lesson tomorrow with my trainer. We'll see how that goes. I called to ask how Denali was doing. She's back to her spring habits. Mud = mud puddles = fun. Denali loves puddles of water. She loves jumping in them, and she loves playing in them. It's fun to watch. Check out this video from last March.
7 comments:
Glad to hear your lesson went well. It sounds like you had a good horse/rider/instructor match.
I’m glad your lesson went well. I’m guilty of riding the “safe” horses at my barn. My instructor is an amazing confidence booster though. She’s had me hop on a couple of horses that are out of my comfort zone. And I’ve always done well with them but they aren’t horses I’d tack up when I’m alone at the barn. I need my confidence booster there basically holding my hand telling me I’m doing fine lol. My favorite horse to ride (other than my own of course) is one of our lesson horses. For kids he is a saint, solid and perfect. He is still perfect but he seems to know my riding level and he challenges me. I rode him at a few schooling shows this summer and brought home blue ribbons and reserve high point champion ribbons. My instructor wishes she had video of my last Intro level B test. She said she has never seen anyone ride him as beautifully as I did that day. We were cantering our last 20 meter circle and I lost my stirrup. Everything in my body told me to stop and put my foot back in the stirrup (like I do when the same thing happens in lessons since I’m a puss) but I listened to him and we finished out the test. I wanted to cry because I thought I had messed up but my instructor smiled and said “holy Sh-t girl! That was awesome!” I think we all need our confidence boosters when we ride.
On a sad inrelated side note. The barn I managed a few years ago burned down yesterday. The two horses that were still there were both inside and were both killed. I’m sick to my stomach about it. My friend texted me she thought it was my old barn that had burned down but wasn’t sure. So I turned on the news and sure enough it was. I wanted to throw up when I saw it.
Aww. I love sweet old people, too. I'm glad you got to make his day.
LBR- Thanks! It went well. She said a lot of things to me that made sense. Sometimes I just overanalyze WAY too much and have a problem with stopping and just doing.
GTTR- How horrible and how sad! That is my worst, WORST fear!
In an undepressing note, that's awesome that you finished your test without your stirrup. I'm pretty sure I would have fallen off.
SB- I do love sweet old people. I wonder what it's called when young people stalk old people? Eldophile? Just kidding.
Geez, you have been racking up the followers in record time lately!
Lol. I pay them. :) Checks are in the mail people!
Glad to hear your lesson went well..baby steps sometimes. :)
So SWEET that you paid for the man's coffee, I'm sure you made his day..good karma pays off!
Have you ever worked inside a round pen w/ Denali? I'm sure this is not a news flash so sorry if it's like "DUH" but..lunge her for a bit, 15-20 to see where she's at focus wise, and then just ride her at a walk, stop, walk, etc. Keep it simple. Builds your confidence. Works for me. Some days, lol! ;)
From there, learning her antics and her re-learning yours will help when you start in arena.
ALSO..do you have people to ride with. That makes SUCH a huge huge huge difference in her confidence and focus and yours.
Trail riding is super fun too, and the TB's love it!! Laz literally splashed like Denali in the tiny tiny river we crossed and had a great time and was amazing for 3 hours. I was a nervous wreck prior to our trail ride and took a valium to calm me down b/c I was so nervous he would kill me on the trail. LOL! I dont recommend the Valium but it worked for me.
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