Aerosmith: Global Warming Tour

Warning: non-horsey post! (I will update the equine parts of Wednesday and Thursday along with Friday's notes.)

I set off for Tacoma at 5.30pm, wearing non-horsey clothes (first chance I've had to wear my nice boots!), armed with food, snacks, water, maps, sunglasses, mp3 player and my ticket. The trip was essentially highway 3 south, to highway 16 east, to Interstate highway 5 north (via 705) with the Tacoma Dome exit not too far from where I would enter I5. The trip took about an hour and I only hit traffic about a mile before the Dome (and I'd seen it from the highway), as I was leaving I5. I wish I'd been the passenger going over the Tacoma Narrows bridge as I'd have loved some photos, it was spectacular and had a really good view over the water. The other thing I would have done if I'd had more time (and no poodle to think about) was leave earlier in the day and check out the attractions in Tacoma. I may have the opportunity to at least visit the glass museum next week when Lana collects her nephew from Tacoma (I am welcome to go along for the ride).

Parking was no cause for concern. I followed the flow of the other cars and parked at the Car Museum, directly opposite the Dome. There was virtually no queue to get into the parking or the Dome itself, as I was fairly early.

I found my seat...

This was my view of the stage

The view towards the back

Centre stage

The stage and roof - going up, as opposed to down.

Centre roof

The opening act was a band called Cheap Trick, who I (not a muso) have never heard of. The only song they played that I recognised was "I want you to want me", and only because I've heard several remakes! If I'd realised I wouldn't have enjoyed their set, I would have left a little later (though then I think I would have had a nightmare parking).

Finally, the lights dimmed and the show started!

 

Of the concerts I've been to, I'd class this one as the best, simply because it's a band I LOVE as opposed to tagging along with other people at shows with bands they love. I did really enjoy Guns N Roses (though the joke was it was only "Axl plus cover band") and Alice Cooper's stage show was incredible, but they just don't compare to a band who's songs you sing along to in the car because the CD is on repeat.

I expected traffic getting out and sat in the queue with the motor off while I ate my sandwich and drank water. I should have taken a book to read or something! Then, the people directing traffic at the exit and further up the road sent me in the wrong direction (to I5 North, rather than South). Luckily I had loaded google maps onto my laptop and could work out where I was and where I needed to go (all while stationary, of course). There was a little traffic on If but after that it was plain sailing the whole way home. I was VERY tired and considered stopping for a coffee at one of the many, many food places just off the highway, though my plan was to do that after I got out of Tacoma so I didn't get stuck in more traffic, then the opportunities dwindled and I was cruising homewards to bed. I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, somewhere around 1.30am. 

Set list:

draw the line
elevator
same old song
edge
oh yeah
last child
--drum solo--
ragdoll
combination
stop messin'
what it takes
legendary child
come together
rats
sweet emotion
walk this way

encore:
dream on
train

Awesome day

Today was awesome!

I had a really good sleep.

Josie decided to eat (all three meals!). She was a bit lacklustre yesterday (I think she missed Susan!) and didn't eat very much, which was worrying. Today, back on track and very happy.

The horses were brilliant.

Fon was attentive and soft. She did not anticipate and rush, she listened and did what I asked. She did not toss her head once when I walked her in connection. She did really good out/in work on one and two lines (like yesterday, I did some hip press). She waited for her walk-on cue when I got in the saddle. Her hind legs were right there when I asked for them. We walked down the end of the field and wove in and around the trees - she was a little looky but not jumpy or spooky and settled quickly, giving me some lovely head-down walk on a long/loose rein. Her right circles are going great. She was stretching down into the bit/bridle really well.
I need to work on asking her to come through (from a 'come on') through the change of direction transition. I focussed on that today and it really helped her.

Chico was right there, too, when I took him down for groundwork in his bridle. He put his head down before I picked up the reins. He did some lovely out/in in both walk and trot, with some steps of sideways as well. He was super to ride. I basically went straight into trot and explored what I need to do in changes of direction to keep him through in the transition. I also practised some turn on the forehand and attempted turn on the haunches (he saved my butt as I was only guessing at what I needed to do).

On the way home from the barn I was listening to the radio and heard them say something about a concert in Washington. Missed hearing the date but looked when I got home. Figured it'd be after I left for NZ (of course).

No.

Aerosmith, playing at the Tacoma Dome, 8/8.

Yes, 8 August.

Yes, tomorrow.

So, I have a ticket to Aerosmith's concert. TOMORROW!

I am so excited (to borrow a Connected phrase... "oh, really?").

I didn't take Monday off as Susan suggested, so I will do a short day tomorrow and a short/late day on Thursday (or maybe take Thursday off entirely).
Lana printed the ticket for me and talked me through getting there. Susan actually left some maps and info about the district on the kitchen bench, so I don't have to travel blind, so to speak. It will take about an hour to get there so I'll leave around 5.00-5.30pm (opening act start at 7.30pm). It's reserved seating so I don't need to worry about getting in early, except for navigational and parking purposes. I will take some food with me but might stop on the way if I see an interesting place. I think I will only be able to take my little camera into the venue (usually, cameras with removable lenses are not permitted).

In any case, it will be a fantastic night and I am really, really looking forward to it. All that's left (aside from getting there) is to make sure I don't get lost on the way home in the middle of the night ;)

I will catch you all on Thursday with some non-horsey photos! :D

House- and poodle-sitting

Today started early. Very early.

1.30am, to be precise.

Susan and I departed the house at 1.47am. She needed to be dropped at the airport transporter, that winds it's way to the airport for an hour and a half, in order to check in for her 6.00am flight.

Josie and I were back in bed by 2.10am. Josie actually came straight into the house, ran up the stairs and jumped onto the middle of *my* bed. She was almost settled in by the time I got up the stairs... After a quick  rearrangement, we were both fast asleep again.

My alarm came and went. I snoozed it a couple of times. Josie took full advantage of the sleep in, only appearing after I'd made bacon and eggs for (my!) breakfast.

We made it to the barn by 9.25am. I wrote up my new whiteboard with the Rems and feeds list, gave rems and turned all horses except Fonteyn out. Karen arrived and said she'd like to work with Sully. We groomed and tacked and headed down to the bottom field. It was nice for Sully to have some company and good for me to have Karen's eyes on me occasionally.

I like the way Fon goes in the halter and bridle combo. It gives me flexibility to take just the rope, just the reins, or both. It helps her bridge the movement patterns she knows from schooling with the halter to the way she needs to move in the bridle. She started off quite rushy but some combing settled her quickly. I focussed on the same things we did yesterday: soft transitions from one direction to the other, picking up her hind legs, connecting my elbows and giving her good outside rein support.

Karen worked Sully in the halter and on the lunge. He seemed to be going very well, from my very brief glances over when Fon and I were processing ;)

Lana called to say she would come and ride. I had just enough time to groom and tack Chico and do 15 minutes of groundwork in the bridle before Lana came. I only asked for him to be soft, releasing his head and neck, then out/in and over. He is getting into his groove and not pulling the reins through and 'dumping' on his forehand so frequently. He is also softer in his head and neck, and better able to change his head to the out and the in.

I attempted to take Josie for a walk on the trails with Lana and Chico but she was too excitable and pulled, so we left them to it and drove home. Driving is going well! I have not managed to get myself lost (only temporarily confused!) or onto the wrong side of a road. I'm pleased with that.

Tonight I took Josie to her puppy-training class over on Bainbridge. All the driving with Susan yesterday helped and we arrived early. It was quite different to the classes I used to take my dog to, 13 years ago. Next week is the last class so I will practice with Josie during the week.

Dinner was a tomato stew with beef, carrots, onions, squash, the last dribble of Chardonnay from the bottle in the fridge and herbs from the garden, served over rice. I'm enjoying a cup of coffee now (I'm love the "half and half" or "whitener", which is half milk and half cream - about 5% fat, compared to our full cream milk at 3.5% or so). There are some turkey & mozzarella sausages in the fridge that I will cook tomorrow and serve with salad, and maybe the rest of the beef stir-fried with veggies the night after that. I have missed cooking!

Hot hot hot

It was so. freaking. hot. here today. Unbelievably hot. Like... 33 degrees C with 60% humidity. Yesterday was probably 30 degrees, with 30% humidity.

It is supposed to be slightly cooler tomorrow (high 20s), then slightly cooler still for the next few days (mid to high 20s), which will be PERFECT for getting things done around the barn without melting.

This morning Susan and I went to the barn in the morning to give rems. We forgot the screws and screwdriver to re-hang Fonteyn's mineral and salt feeder on the wall. Sully's face was NOT raw, which means he had not been scratching it all against the side of the door frame - fantastic! Either the Lucas' Paw paw or the slightly thicker calendula salve (which I think must have a beeswax base), or the double-whammy, helped kick start some healing so he doesn't feel the need to scratch his face off... Yay.

I have not mentioned that Susan has had me driving all over the show, in prep for them being away. The change of perspective is really disorienting... I still reach for the gear lever with my left hand, I don't use my rear vision mirror consistently because I have to look to the right for that (at home, it's to the left, of course) and I tend to swing wide on turns to the left because I am not used to having half the car out that way. But, all in all, nothing major and certainly nothing dangerous or Susan would probably have a few more grey hairs ;) It's been great for me to sort out where places are in relation to other places.

Anyway! Taxi driver Helen drove Susan to Judy's house. I will stay there for a week, next week, between housesitting here and going back to Lana's around the 18th or 19th. Judy is away for a month so it will be helpful for her plants to be watered and that sort of thing. The house is - conveniently - not far from Peggy and Susan's place.

Lunch was the remains of Susan's pizza from last night (delicious) as I caught up with emails and finished off another book.

In the afternoon, Susan's taxi drove all over the show: we drove over to Bainbridge Island and the place I will take Josie to her obedience class tomorrow and next week; on the way back we went to Cenex to buy feed and WalMart to buy a whiteboard to keep track of rems and feed recipes, Central Market for more groceries and back to the barn to fix the feeder and hang the whiteboard. By this time we were both melting and sitting with the AC on in the car was positively lovely.

It was Lana's husband Ron's birthday. His three brothers and their families are staying there at the moment. Today was Ron's birthday party, at the pond at the bottom of their property. We arrived just after they'd sung happy birthday but with plenty of time to grill the home-made turkey burgers and talk to people. Josie had clearly stamped her mark on the card for Ron: I pulled it off her with two chewed corners. Thankfully Ron saw the funny side (the dog ate my homework, anyone?!). Strangely enough, the chewed corners were both ends of the flap:  given Ron is sporting one fibreglass cast on his right arm and a plaster cast on the left, with both thumbs  immobile, he was actually able to open the card. [Miss Josie had the right idea, after all.........] I believe I am still full from the food, which included peach cobbler, apricot cobbler and chocolate cake. So much for sugar free (but party food is for parties!).

Susan's task for the afternoon was putting together the booklets for the upcoming CRT 101 course in Wisconsin. I assisted with hole punching and putting the assortment of printouts in the correct order in the folders. It was, of course, still a million degrees and we were all melting (Josie included). Susan suggested a walk around 7.00pm, partly because Josie didn't help us run our errands today and needed some attention, partly because it was cooler out than in the house. And, my gosh, was it beautiful. We walked out down Liberty Bay and past the other marina. She pointed out the route we'd kayaked yesterday. We saw some lovely little houses with great views over the water. I found some very ripe blackberries (the first of the season) WITHIN REACH just after we turned around for home.

Bliss!

Git 'er done!

Today was a doing things day!

Susan and I arrived at the barn at 7.57 am, about 20 seconds behind Karen. Pretty awesome. Andrew collected the small sprayer and was there about 9.00am. Meanwhile I'd given rems and swept the tack room.

The first approximation of spraying the field commenced. Karen had mixed the minerals with water and devised a system to filter the mineral sediment left behind so it wouldn't clog the sprayer. After a few small hitches keeping the sprayer attached to the truck's hitch, they were off. I got Fon tacked up and took her down for groundwork and a ride.

I decided to stick her back in her CR halter so I could do two-line work (aka the 'leg yield' business), and also see how she was to ride with the rope and the rein.
Fon doesn't really like the handler to be snugged up on her halter but she coped very well today. She was also free through her shoulders and active with her hind legs. Over to the left (on a circle to the right) was easier than the other direction. Transitions to trot were good.

She was in a better headspace when I got on than she has been in the previous couple of days. Partly helped by me knowing what the heck I need to do!!! I picked up the rein and the rope for a few circles and changes of direction, then dropped the rein and rode her on the rope (which is only attached to the halter, so functions like a type of bitless bridle). I continued with changes of direction but focused mainly on travelling to the right, her sticky side. I still need to contain my outside rein more, though I am getting better. I am remembering to open my knees more frequently and also working out which leg I need to wiggle to speak to the hind leg I want to activate. I found she was very good with the rope: I suspect it takes away some of the "negative" associations of the bit from her prior riding. After riding on the rope for quarter of an hour, I picked up the rein and rode with both. Her head was softer and lower; I achieved something! :) She is really coming into herself and has good "energy" going on.

Sully has been scratching the side of his face on the side of his stall door. We are not sure if he's rubbed something that's irritating him, if the rems are bringing something out, if he's eaten something that's causing a reaction, or another thing altogether, but now it's raw and he's rubbing it so we have to devise a plan to deal with it. Currently the calendula cream is helping the wound but not the itchiness. Today I tried Lucas' Paw paw ointment. I will also take some of my inert moisturiser (which I am not going to use up before I go home but don't want to take home in luggage due to weight) and see if applying that several times a day helps him. If so, we could leave some out for the barn staff to apply when they bring the horses in at night and/or feed breakfasts.

I decided to lunge Sully in the cavesson today due to him giving me lip yesterday (I love that he feels good enough to give me lip, but he needs to learn to work through any lip-giving processes). He was very good. A lot better on his feet but still somewhat shorter on his right front (the boxier hoof which has been giving him more grief), though better after he'd trotted for a while. He listened to my voice commands and softened for some nice trot work so we finished up and turned everyone out with their fly masks.

I drove from the barn for all of our errands. We dropped a key off to the last place I stayed, collected my peanut butter from Lana's (I bought a huge jar which would last me through to the time I left), purchased feed from Cenex and checked the post box.

Once home, lunch was made and Susan and I discussed another "project" for me: contact the other two Working Students for their help in compiling the CEI Working Student Program. Basically, they want to formalise the system: add a description of the position and pre-reqs and an application form to the website, have a list of barn chores, the agreement of what the working student gets and what they do in return. A couple of emails later, I've started my end of the deal (I had already typed up the list of barn chores so the other two should not have to do much on that).

One of Susan's current projects is re-covering the chairs at their breakfast bar. She had the vinyl fabric and the staple gun the chairs had been taken apart, but she ran out of time to complete the job. I created the "pattern" and cut the fabric out while she started her admin for the upcoming 101 course. I held the fabric taut while she used the electric staple gun. She screwed the chairs back together. We both agree the chairs look spunky! and the colour (a bright lime green) is perfect for the space and the colours already in the house. Job well done!

Next up was miss Josie, poodle face, who needed a bath. It's about 90-something degrees Fahrenheit (30+ degrees Celsius) so absolutely the best time to be playing with water. Josie is currently dry and being brushed, she'll get dinner and then we'll head out to kayak on the bay for an hour before going to a local eatery for some dinner.

Tomorrow we'll have a few more things to cross off the To Do list, but probably going to be another cruisy day!

Update after our kayaking adventure:

We spent about an hour kayaking around the marina. We got to see several groups of seals basking in the early evening sun and bobbing around in the water, as well as a great blue heron (unfortunately no photo of that guy).
Following that we stopped at a lovely Italian place for dinner. I am STUFFED and totally happy right now. We couldn't have picked a nicer, hotter (30-something degrees C) day to get out on the water, which was quite calm (almost "glassy" in places) with the sun glinting like diamonds. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Slowing down - just a little

I had such. a. good. sleep last night. Except for the part where I was woken at 4-something am by a text message, from some random stranger (who has sent about 4 messages since I got this phone, which was connected with a 'brand new' number). Sigh. Toast with almond butter for breakfast (delish!) and coffee (yummmmmmm) and I was set for the day.

Sully got groundwork to start. He is feeling much better on his feet. I understand a horse must be comfortable on their feet in order to offer good work - it's not the route I would have taken, but it appears to be working for this horse, on this ground, which is what needs to happen. Anyway... Sully was feeling good enough to give me 'tude today... 'Nuf said! I will groundwork him again tomorrow (and probably lunge with the cavesson).

I rode Chico first. He was SUPER today. He was free through his shoulders, he moved where I asked, when I asked, and his hind legs were present. With him, the stuck-ness is in his shoulders. If they are blocked, his hind legs can't come through. When you work him and mobilise his shoulders (and, of course, get him releasing his neck and lifting his base), his hind legs are so there it's not funny. He did some excellent work on the line: I decided his trot was such a good rhythm and activity that I asked him for canter transitions. He got three great canter departs in each direction. I didn't want to canter him for hours, so focused on keeping up the out/in/on (or, out/in/steady, where appropriate) to keep rebalancing him so he could canter freely.
Under saddle we worked mostly in trot with frequent changes of direction. After the trot, he gave me some really, really lovely walk - head and neck stretched, but not "dumping" as he so frequently does. I am really pleased with how he went.

Between horses I caught up with paperwork: filling in both the diary at the barn and my journal (I have not done the latter for the past 4 barn days so needed to jog my memory.

Time for Fon, who was also a superstar today. She had really good rhythm in trot on the lunge and was mobile through her shoulders. I played with D-shaped spirals and worked her all around the paddock - through the rough footing and longer patches of grass, which really make her pick up her feet, closer to the trees at the other end of the paddock, closer to the road with distractions like people with strollers, cars and dogs. It was prep for riding her there without her losing focus on her rider. All in all, I was very pleased. She came back to a walk and did some lovely stuff, she stood still for mounting, she was responsive to my requests without overreacting; I remembered my elbows (could do with some more connection on my outside rein, but it's coming), remembered to keep thinking about opening my knees and getting froggy, and also to soften the change from one direction to the other. She did well, giving some lovely changes from left to right and back again and some excellent walking to the right (her harder side).

Susan collected me and we met Lana at WalMart. They had some errands to run like setting up a new laptop for Lana. I also needed to get some groceries for my week at Susan's place with miss Josie! They gave me a whirlwind tour of some places near Poulsbo. I think we went to Silverdale but I can't be sure. Costco is enormous and great for bulk quantities of items... like, if you want 4 or 6 or 10 jumbo sized bottles of shampoo, it's the place for you! Trader Joes is a real foodie place - lots of really good quality (and plenty of organic) produce. Finally, dropped Lana back at her car and went to Central, which is just a really large supermarket (and a small cafe, pharmacy, and mini garden centre). Home to make dinner (turkey burgers with fresh salad, grilled onions and grilled squash, plus a piece of toasted sourdough bread for me).

After dinner I played with Josie for a while, mum called on Skype (nice) and I caught up on the medal count for the Kiwis (great results in the rowing and team eventing).

And now to bed ;) Good night!

All caught up

Today was nothing but full on. I am totally shattered and running on empty right now!

I was dropped at the barn at 8.30am. The horses got rems. Without internet access, I missed Susan's email to me regarding timing and plans for the day, so I was about to get on Chico when Peggy called me at 9.00am. She suggested - what else - that I ride Chico to start ;) so I replied "guess who is tacked up and ready to go!"

Chico has had the best part of a week off. Lana did ride a couple of times and Karen did work him, but he is getting WAY too much grass for his work level and looks positively rotund. Despite his time off, he was very good for me once I unstuck his shoulders. Peggy arrived as I was getting on so watched me process what I needed to do with him. It boils down to me learning coordination (haha!) of the various parts. Even though I don't have "it" yet, I am managing to get some really nice stuff from him. From the out, the transition to the in needs to be a little softer, with a little more support and connection on the outside rein, then he needs a come on. Yes, I've said this before. Yes, I understand it. It's just the doing it a million different ways, quickly (why spend half my ride getting the horse through when I could spend five minutes!).

Peggy raced for her flight to a two-day clinic. I soaked Sully's feet with White Lightning, groomed and tacked Fonteyn. The farrier called to say he was running late which suited me fine: I had time to groundwork and ride Fon, without rushing. Karen was riding Bracken while I started Fon off and I asked her to stick around while I rode, so I could be sure I was doing the right thing for the horse. Fon did really well! I need to do the same things with myself as I do on Chico, but in a much more subtle way. Fon only needs the inside knee to open and that thigh to think up, to walk off, whereas Chico usually needs a wobble from both sides.
Fon finds it tougher to the right so I tend to get myself muddled up more that way, then default to left, which flows easily. So, I need to focus on travelling to the right to strengthen her and get her more balanced. All in all, it's still the same out, in, on that I have been doing.

As Fon was being turned out, the farrier arrived. Karen had Bracken so I grabbed Chico on my way back up to the barn. Those two only needed to be trimmed so the process was short. Sully, on the other hand, took half the afternoon: first, I showed the farrier the photos I'd taken when I arrived (before I pulled his shoes), and the xrays from October last year which were sent to Peggy just this week. Sully got a lameness workup so the farrier could see where he was at. Then came discussion about which options were appropriate, or not, for this horse and the plans for him going forward. Finally, he got to work on Sully's feet. He appreciated the trim I did and thought it was appropriate for the situation (take that with a grain of salt - I don't think I did the horse justice with the trim, as I was trying to do the bare minimum and coax the horse along to today's farrier appointment where he'd likely get shoes - shoes aren't easy to apply when a horse has had a proper barefoot trim, due to the lack of excess wall). In any case, that was his view and it's fine. He didn't want to nail anything and didn't feel a metal shoe was appropriate, and thought boots probably aren't ideal due to the shape of the hooves and the fact they have a lot of decontracting to do. So, he use a casting material (similar to the stuff used when you break/fracture a limb - a mesh, soaked + 'activated' with water, then sets hard within a short time) and a rubber sole pad. It was interesting to see the process (I'd probably never go this route with any of my horses, even if we had a competent local person offering the service).

Fon was a piece of cake in comparison, with shoes taken off, re-shaped, a different pad and then re-set. Susan collected me, we went past my temporary place to collect my stuff, Central Market for a quick dinner fix and now here I am, catching up on everything. I have my own bed in Peggy's office, my own bathroom, I've done a load of washing (which is still in the dryer, oops) and now it's time to sleeeeeeeep.

Yesterday - back at the barn

Here's yesterday's post (I decided, seeing I didn't have internet access, I'd write something to post later).

Back at the barn

Today was a relatively normal day... Yeah, right! I got up, ate and made lunch while waiting for 10am to hear from Peggy. She called a few minutes early to say Daryl was coming with his tractor and drag to deal with the arena, so I was out the door by 10.10am. It’s a short walk from here (about .5 mile, compared to 2.5 miles from Lana’s) so the sprinkler was on in the arena by 10.20am. The idea was to get the surface damp so the drag wouldn’t create too much dust.

Jenny came shortly before Daryl turned up, with husband Andre in tow (his birthday today!). They took Gruella into the indoor to do some groundwork. I mixed feeds and showed her the heart-girth press: Gruella really seemed to like it. Meanwhile, Daryl’s tractor had stopped and there was a moment of panic when we thought he’d dragged the outermost track and then gone home!

Peggy and Susan arrived while he was still fixing. It turned out that he’d run out of gas, so went to buy more, came back and the tractor’s nearly-flat battery couldn’t start the engine which had cooled down by that stage.Susan had to jump start the tractor from the car . All in all it took about an hour to drag the arena and an hour to deal with the tractor.

Peggy and I worked Sully in the field. We walked him up and down the small hills. He is quite stiff in his hind legs (especially hips and hocks): they haven’t been asked to “fold” for quite some time. Peggy had her hand on various places as I walked him in connection. He  was OK with hip press but tended to crab sideways when she did anything else (hip press, sacrum rock) and really didn’t like tail pulls. But, he let his head and neck go, his stride improved and he did start placing his feet in a better way.

Fon got a very quick brush then out for lunging. She felt heavy on her shoulder and tried to barge through me (something I was working hard on last week). Her rhythm was pretty good, considering, and she listened to me well with some good out and in changes. I realise I did not fully appreciate how GOOD she is at that sort of thing: she has good articulation of her head and will offer quite a lot of turn, quite easily. Some of the horses I’ve had my hands on in the last few days have not offered – or been able to do – more than a couple of degrees of turning. Fon got three correct canter transitions to the left, her sticky side. The horses in the field ran and bucked: Fon stayed with her handler and did not explode or tank off at all.

Peggy mounted and rode around for a while. Fon was absolutely fantastic. There is a little bit of a habit in the arena, where she got a lot of bad schooling in a prior life, so she has some hang ups. However, previously she was too unfocussed in the field so that was not a viable alternative work space. Today, she rocked! It took very little asking to get her hind legs and ask for bends in both directions. She was balanced and soft with base up and back rounded. She kept going in a very nice posture for a good length of time and with few reminders. Considering what they’ve been through to get her into shape, it was fabulous. I also got to ride for a short time to feel it.  She is easier to the left than the right; she understands the rotation out to hook the outside hind, then rotation in to hook the inside hind. She knows rotation out then leg on to ask for some more lateral steps (to make the circle smaller), and rotation in + leg on to ask for a larger circle. She spooked one time when Gruella ran out from behind some trees so I got to feel her moving in a disconnected way (base down) for two strides. I definitely appreciate the exposure to the thing I don’t want, as well as the thing I do want her to do. It helps me understand where she comes from and how much Connected helps her.

Susan and Karen both got to see how well Fon went today. I know all four people were very, very pleased with her.

We discussed Sully’s feet (the farrier comes tomorrow). Unfortunately Peggy can’t be there as she’s flying out to a two-day clinic so it’ll be me and Karen to meet him and see what he has to say. Sully’s feet have decontracted significantly since I took his shoes off, even though I haven’t trimmed him the way I would like to trim (ultimately, I was doing something to get him through to the farrier visit, and he is likely to get shoes on either tomorrow or next time). I would like to see him stay bare at least until I go, as his feet need time to decontract much, much further (I would *really* like to see him stay bare but he’s not my horse!).

I was lucky enough to get a Feldy session with Karen after we left the barn. I feel much better for it!  Dinner was pork with garlic butter potatoes, fresh lettuce and snow peas from the garden, followed by ice cream (all the pie at Joan’s and the ice cream here isn’t doing my sugar free thing any favours! I figure I worked some of it off today walking up and down the hill with Sully and also as I moved the arena sprinkler around.... ;) ).

Tomorrow I want to be at the barn early enough to do barn chores and lightly groundwork Sully before the farrier arrives at noon. I will work Fonteyn after her feet are done. I am supposed to be going to dinner with my current hosts, and after that will go back to Susan’s where I’m staying for the next 10 days.

Catch up!

Time to catch up after 4 days without internet and a SUPER long day at the barn today (today's update might have to wait until tomorrow! I *still* haven't written my journal entries for the past 4 days at the barn... and two of those were a week ago!!!).

This is something I wrote after getting home from Oregon on Tuesday.

To Oregon and back

I had an absolutely wonderful few days in Oregon. Now that I’m ‘home’ I have got a few moments to sit and think, without needing to be prepared to jump up and help with horses.

Two Creeks Farm, where clinic host Joan lives with her husband Dan, is a wonderful property. The arena is a sand and small rubber chip mix that is soft but not deep footing. The small barn includes two stalls with runs for her two retired mares, Amber and Stella. The visiting horses were set up in portable pens (the panels are a fairly essential item for anyone travelling to clinics or shows) in one paddock, with another paddock a turn out area for the horses to rotate through. Chairs were set up at one end of the arena in a place there was shade from trees and the barn as well as sun (when it decided to show up). A good friend of Joan’s, Pam, had her video cameras and equipment under a small gazebo. Pam is the usual “clinic videographer” and only charges low fee for her time (basically to cover expenses), so the riders can have the benefit of their lessons being videoed.

This clinic was aimed at a core of 5 people in the practitioner course: all except one have completed the 101 and 102 training courses. Naturally, the aim for those 5 is to progress to the 103 course, scheduled for the end of August. There was also a bodyworker (of sorts) who has been riding with Peggy for several years, and Joan, who has been working with Peggy for the last 20 years.

The Oregon PIT group are fantastic. I learned a LOT from them and their horses. As the Working Student, I wasn’t there to “participate” as such: I was more of an observer, someone to work/walk with horses in the arena as required, offer support to riders, handle the rider’s second horse if required, and so on. The riders have already done a lot together, including lesson/clinic days with and without Peggy and a demo at an Expo last year. It really shows in the support they offer each other and I felt they welcomed me with open arms (of course, it helped that I was the Kiwi Support Person ;) ).

Day one was their chance to catch up with Peggy and for her to see where they were at. As with most clinics, this meant groundwork in the morning and groundwork + riding in the afternoon. I spent some time working with Karen’s horses Rheanna and Zach, Stella and an Appaloosa called Ode.

Day two was set up with two sessions. The aim was for each PIT to show the process of preparing the horse to ride. This meant a groundwork-focussed session in the morning and a riding-focussed session in the afternoon (but, if the horse wasn’t ready to ride in either of those sessions, the rider would not get on). As the day progressed, Peggy and one of her experienced instructors Deb, worked with the riders from the ground. Both Peggy and Deb rode horses to get through various stucknesses, usually with the other one on the ground and the rider watching. All horses and riders came along in leaps and bounds – very necessary.

Day three included auditors for the first time. The riders and horses really had to “bring it” today. Again, the focus was on the process: the riders came out in pairs and after a brief start on groundwork, summed up where the horse was at and what they were working on to ensure the horse had all four legs present and working before they mounted.
 

It was interesting for me to spend a little time with the auditors and hear their questions: normally I am so busy with horses at clinics that I don’t have time or energy to sit and chat with “strangers.” I also took some photographs; I enjoy watching through the viewfinder and capturing the “YES!” moments.

Day 4 was a lesson day. To me, this was a little more disjointed and less easy to watch. I didn’t know some of the riders and some of the horses; I felt integrated with three days with the PIT group. The contrast to watching someone for one hour with a completely different horse is huge.

Also, Joan’s horse Stella was thoroughly fed up with all the horses on HER property. She is a well bred mare who was ridden to Third level and completely broken down before Joan acquired her. Joan has worked incredibly hard to bring Stella back to soundness, however she is a very anxious horse and wants to protect her barn mate Amber. Their runs end beside the gate to the arena so every time Stella was having trouble with horses coming and going, I’d take a wand and stroke it down her front legs to calm her. She knows and trusts the Connected and TTeam work. It helps bring her brain back so that she doesn’t rush around and risk damaging herself (she is 25, with a host of body issues).

A highlight of my time was getting to know the riders. I spent the first night in Albany with Karen, then went to Lori’s for two nights. She had her own horse Alibi (a Saddlebred) at the clinic, as well as a horse on trial that she wanted Peggy, Deb and Carolyn to have a look at (no point vetting him if they could find a glaring problem). The drive to and from Lori’s place gave us a chance to chat. I feel Lori is one of the most dedicated riders I’ve ever met: she has drive and ambition. Now that she’s ‘Connected’ there is no way she is doing anything else, and I really admire that.

Lori spent most of Thursday going to view Palmer and bringing him home (4 hours with the trailer, each way). He was a little shell shocked when we loaded him on Saturday for the hour to Joan’s place, but settled very well. I do hope he passes his vet check as he is a lovely type of horse, built so that being base up is an easy thing (very, very unusual).. Lori seriously looked at more than 150 horses before finding Palmer so she’s a little jaded about what’s out there. It is incredibly difficult to find horses that haven’t been crammed or jammed or are seriously broken or stuck in their bodies and minds. Palmer’s responses to the Connected work were positive. I think he will make a very nice horse with some time to learn the lingo.

I slept the next two nights in the tent at Joan’s for two nights. I can’t remember the last time I slept in a tent! Joan cooked excellent scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Tuesday was a very long day travelling home. First stop was Carolyn’s for a lesson. From there we travelled to a barn one of Peggy’s students is based at. There is a big ‘expo’ planned to showcase Connected Riding in September 2013 which needs the right kind of venue.

I was delivered to my accommodation for two nights at about 9pm last night. I will be at Peggy & Susan’s place after this when they go to Wisconsin for another 101. That will make the sixth place I’ve stayed in the last 9 days (Lana, Karen, Lori, tent, here, Peggy and Susan’s!). It also marks the start of my second month here (almost half way already – time flies). Now, it is time to get organised and head to the barn so I can get back into the swing of things.