Ive retired!

Sorry I havent posted in so long. What with the new job and all, I come home and all I want to do is crash or zone out! The job is going really well. I'm in training, learning how to be a customer service rep. at a national bank. Although I have greater things in mind we all have to start somewhere!

So ive decided to retire. This way by the time I'm done school I'll be able to show amature. It might mean some paperwork for the next few years, proving that im leaseing the horses that I show, and not reciving any money for showing them.

Although it was a tough decision, I just couldnt keep up with all the people that wanted me to teach them. And all the stuff with the App people. I mean you dont want me to teach your kids at a show, Im always wrong, but you still want me to teach you at home. Nope not going to happen! So its taken alot off my sholders, and I feel so much better already :)

Well the super pony was super....

Well the pony won the 18 and under command. Its basicly like simion says, follow the commands the ones that dont get kicked out untill there is the winner. And the pony won :) It was the riders first ever 1st place. In all he picked up 3 ribbons, and he was the most happy over the fact that his pony did well at her first show this year. Now thats a good student.

He actualy calmed me down after the Horsemaship class "Remember Sam, we came to get more miles on her and she did really well in the pattern!" I need more of these kids!

I start my new job tomorrow! Im so excited. I get weekends and holidays off! Its the first job I've ever had that I get that time off without pleading..... either I was working away on a horse farm or at home on our pig farm.

Still worried about this other kid. I like her. She is a good friend. But she just wont listen when I try to tell her that she could be crippling her horse. Why do people think its a good idea to chase points? And now shes all about getting enough American point to get her "World Show Qualifer" buckle. But it is no competition...... all you need for App is to win one American Pointed class..... How much work is that?

done?

Well I think I should stop teaching. Im worried now that this one kids horse is going to give me issues. This mare is older (14) now breed (for a Jan baby) and gets injections every 6 months. This owner belives that she can and will show every weekend for the entire summer and it will be ok.

Did I mention that she is chasing all-arounds? Oh and not just at the breed shows. (of which there is one each month... that would be ok...) But every weekend she plans on showing her mare all day. (all for a local all-around award which last year was a jacket...........)And the mare is not fit enough yet. (they only have an outdoor, and there seems to be a difference between what I say everyday is and how often the mare really gets ridden)

And now she was at the show yesterday and by the 3rd class i'm going "that mare is off" and she continued showing all day yesterday and all day today. I dont want my name ruined because of there stupidity to not realize what is happening under there own ass! And I told the rider and her mother but they didnt listen.

Its not the first time they havent listened to me but have gone behind my back to ask other trainers the same question they just asked me. Im starting to think that its not worth the agervation.

horse show.................................. yeah right

Cant imagine why local shows think that buy hiring a cheep judge they are helping there show. The judge at the show yesterday was retarted! Right before the first class they had an annoucement "horses shown in a shank bit must be ridden one handed, horses shown in a snaffle can be shown either one or two handed"

Then what does this smartash do?!?!? places kids in the equation class that either obvously fixed there horse with both hands, grabed horn durring the pattern or rode the entire class two handed .... all of them RIDING IN A SHANK BIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on I mean it was bad enough when a girl's horse did a stop and spin at the lope and went 5 strides the other way before corrected that the judge missed ENTIRLY and placed 2nd.... but I mean you just announced the rules.... And then didnt follow them!!!!!

And yes my student was ignored but we didnt go to the show to place, only to get more miles on the Morgan cross pony. (And he passed everything in the ring lol ) but seriously... I mean at least we followed the rules!

Opps

Totaly forgot to talk about the reason why I picked that line for the title. My lesson students are starting to drive me nuts!!! I dont understand why the parents are paying me all this money and then not taking my advice. It just seems so silly. Even one parent who doesnt want me comming to the shows to coach her daughter (who pays me not the mother) asked me if I would start teaching her this summer!?!?! Im like "hello, you embaress me at shows by telling your daughter to ignore me and you want me to teach you???" god some people!

Soooo, I think Im going to 'retire' again

So best friend got rolled over on Wensday night. Her young horse was comming around the corner and slippled and went down on both of them. Now before anyone panics she's ok. Brused leg, foot and they think she did some tendon damange to her knee but she should be ok in a week or two. Doctor told her that she used up one of her 9 lives, then she told him about the last time the other horse fliped over on her..... and the dozen or so other horsey accidents shes had over the years.

So saw the ENT guy in town and got the biopsy results... its not cancerious but it might be..... hows that for a defention! But eather way he's going to take it out on the 16th of June. So although that means I'll be on hormone replacement drugs atleast we should be able to get it figured out before school starts.

Not a bad day pain wise. RA specilist recomended that I start the prednisone again :( But Ive decided that im going to wait. I just dont see the point on going back on it for a month and then trying to come off it for the next 6 months. Local doc gave me some more pain med to get me though the next month. and the sulfa drugs are working a bit they just give me the runs!

I'm so going to rip that out tonight!

Got the sleep clinic machine.... its nothing really a thing on my finger and a thing in my nose. (like an oxygen thing not like .... ya know....) anyways the things in my nose are extreamly anoying! Im sure at some point im going to rip it out but I have to tape it to my face. (did I mention that tape gives me a blochy red look?)

And now the ENT doctor in town has moved my appointment to tomorrow instead of next Wensday. And they have the results of my biosopy from 2 weeks ago... Cross your fingers for me...

ok ok I take it back

Ok she called back and wants to exchange lessons with her and her daughter for the duration of our stay. I still have to do my own stall and buy my own feed so thats a much better deal for the two of us..

Im bording and you want me to do my own chores?

Yeah so I was going to bring a young horse closer to home to work with but I called the lady and she was like well I charged 150 5 years ago and everything has gone up sence then......... And I understand that but I was going to buy my own feed and everything..... And then the kicker... and you'll have to do your own stall every day....

ummmmmm hello? 1st of your not a bording barn (local are around 250, 300 (full service!) with indoor arena, feeding, seperate turn out ect.) there is no indoor just an outdoor, and turn out when ever her horses go out (on 30 acres but I like to be able to catch a horse without a 20 min walk)

i dont know I mean I ran a bording barn I know it costs alot. But I doupt that a yearling will eat alot of hay (at $2 a bale thats $60 if one bale a day, plus bedding, oh and did i mention they are usualy out 24-7 in the summer.....) And I have nothing against her making money but if shes not doing chores the horses are out so eating little hay and using little bedding....

grr so much for friends doing a favor

Typing with a wrist brace is hard....

Yup im gimped up today... and now I have to go to the sleep clinic tomorrow. I dont see why i mean my Doc already told me they want to take out the tonsils. Lol for that matter they should have taken them out when I was 7!

Lessons with Pony kid on thursday, hes going to a red-neck show on the weekend. (Yes we have thouse in Canada) What ever happend to "the coach knows best" Ive got these kids chasing points in multiple curcits this year and all Im worried about is if there horses are going to survive (let alone the fact one of them is in foal, and her owners still want to get 5 more All-Arounds on her!) They thought I was crazy when I sujested that they only show ApHCC shows this year. "But well miss out on all the other awards!" Yeah, that $30 saddle pad is sooooo worth 10 weekends of showing!

And then when I found a stake class (big prize money $200+) and it ment giving up a 'fun' show they didnt even want to change there plans because someone might get ahead of them in points.... does anyone understand that??

Should have been at the horse show....

So yeah horse show canceled.... Spent the day at the cottage with my family.... *sigh* back is super sore as is my pinkie still. Shoulder is doing much better but was still awful last night I got to stop sleeping on it seems to be worse when I do that. Nothing big going on this week. Horse show for the kids on Sunday/sat. Possible one for me on Monday. Oh and I start work on Tuesday. Oh yeah and I have a sleep study thing to get done. Apparently they want to take my tonsils out.....

Stop thinking so much!

Was the advice that new coach/best friends trainer advised. Aparently I'm worring too much and not "enjoying the ride" enough. Which is true I mean I the last time I went for a lope and didnt worrie about what the horse looked like was 4years ago.... He thinks that my quiteting my bran down a bit I should be alble to relax a bit more, and therefore not get so nervous. I mean I know my bran is working a million times a minute faster than it needs to be "ie will she spook now?, fix this fix that, lope now nope jog...." you get the idea!

And now the show tomorrow is cancled due to all the rain :( Not so bad though I mean my sholder is killing me and I cant move my pinky. But I was hoping that kicking some ass would boost my mood a bit :D

Why "on the ground"

I figured that I should probly add why I called this "On the Ground", well thats kinda where I am right now.... lol on the ground!

Im 26. And ive been riding from the age of 7. I grew up taking lessons in dressage and western showing both my own horse and anything else in the barn that was sane enough to get on. I did the trials for Olds placed on the top 10 wait list, and decided to go to the local Agricultural college. I have a diploma in agricultural business.

I worked during the summers at a Fjord farm where I learned how to drive, and I taught and trained all summer. I also got a chance to learn from great teachers who came to the farm for a "vacation". The next summer I worked for former Olympian Hugh Graham, who I groomed for at shows, and at home. I also helped manage the barn, delt with vets for breeding procedures (Kingridge was one of the first farms to do embro transplants on a large scale, and my dad was one of the first non vets trained to do embro transplants on cattle, therefor I knew alot and learned alot more...) I learned alot about managing staff, and stallions here. I also kept the fox hunters fit and sound.

I then made a big mistake, but it ended up ok...instead of going back to Ont I ended up working for somone local, but that didnt work out. Thats all im going to say about that! I ended up in Milton Ont. Groming for a former member of the German Young riders team. I managed/ rode/ groomed all of his horses inculding 7 GP level jumpers. Learned alot about how flat work leads into jumping and how BROKE your horses should be! After about a year the boss decided he was going to stop showing untill his kids were older, and an oppertunity came up in NB so I moved back to the maritimes.

I worked for a maritime QH farm. While there I taught/trained/and managed the farm when the owners were on the road. Students that I started and coached won the AQHA rookie in both amature and youth for NB. I worked both with the WP/allaround horses and the halter horses, having horses that I fitted qualify for worlds several times,

I left that farm thinking I was burnt out and needed some time off, wrong! Turned out I had Rheumatoid Arthritis and I took the next two years to get my life back together. During that time I judged shows, did clinics and passed my EC Judges test.As much as I hate the fact that I will never be able to be a "trainer" again ive been lucky to get some great students. Students that have reached there goals while showing at either a local or even national level. They've given me the hope that even though I may now never become a world class trainer I may still become a world class coach.So im now riding again, a once a week lesson student , Ive gone back to school and my students are making a name for themselves. (TOP 5 and TOP 10 National listings)

Day 3... back from trainers

Went to my 'trainers' place yesterday. This is the farm that I used to work on, which my former boss/coach/trainer still owns. I really miss the place, and I know they wish I could come back but with my RA, training full time is no longer an option. And now with all of these specilist appointments and everything I couldnt have the time off that I would need to get to these appointments. Also I mean although I was learning alot and stuff, I couldnt afford to go back.

So Super pony was at trainers for a month for training, and she looks great! Now the only problem seems to be getting the kid ready to ride now at the ponys level. Before I was doing a bunch of work trying to get him to teach the pony. Now that the pony knows, we need to get him to know how to use all the buttons.

I may be showing on the weekend on my friends horse. If I manage to get my guts setteled.... I now have a fear of being bucked off, which is bad because I broke this horse and shes never even attempted to buck me off. I guess thats what happens when you get old eh? Friend is also taking her new horse to see how she goes in a "show" enviroment. Should be an intresting weekend.

Day 1 - scan and I finaly told my parents...

Went to moncton and got the thyroid scan done. Only one side seems to be working, unfortunity it seems to be the side that the doctors wanted to get rid of because the growth is there. So I think we need to play a wait and see game before we take any drastic action.

On a good note told my parents that I was bringing home that yearling soon. So they know. :) I need somthing to do if everything else goes to shit! Also Ive decided that im going to Congress no matter what this fall. Im letting John know that im hitching a ride tomorrow!