Packing

Well my final month at home has flown by, I'm still in the process of packing and trying to figure out where to put everything but its starting to come together now.  I still have a pile of tack that I haven't quite figured what to do with yet.  I'm hoping to set up my spare bedroom as a tack room/libary but its going to take some figuring out.  And really until I get the necessary things in and settled I think the tack is going to live at my parents for a bit longer...

I've been having fun riding Oscar but late last week he got hurt so I'm not sure how much riding the two of us have left over the next 2 weeks.

Oscar lives most of his time outside but as the weather gets colder, C & D are bringing him in at night.  He lives in a tie stall when he is in the barn.  For some reason on Thursday night Oscar freaked out in his stall and got a leg over his tie.  It has a panic snap, and he wears a leather halter but nothing gave that night.  Thankfully D was only feet away, and he ended up climbing over Oscar and unhooking him even as Oscar struggled and panicked.  

Oscar rubbed off some hair from behind his knee and is still tender, but the swelling and is going down each day, and remarkably he's stayed sound the entire time.  However he's off work (and is spending some time totally sucking up for treats) for a week at the least.  I'm a bit sad that I can't ride him, and I don't know how much riding I'm going to get over the next couple of months... Thats the only bad part about moving.

Moving on

Well its official I spend my first night in my new apartment in exactly 3 weeks from today!

I'm excited and sad all at the same time.  Moving to the city means that the barn is no longer a 10 min drive from home.  And with my brothers wedding coming up next month my weekends at the barn with Oscar are looking few and far between.

Its a new chapter right?  Without a barn to spend ALL my time at I might actually meet new people and even find time for a boyfriend again.

And the new hair is great.  Its amazing, you think that no one but you cares about your appearance but the number of people at work who have told me that they love it, is amazing.  A couple even cried they were so happy for me.  Kind feels like a whole new me, its funny how something so small can change your perception of yourself.

I've ridden Oscar twice and hes sooooo different than Chilly and hes soooo excited to having me riding him again.  He's come to the gate both times at a trot when I've gone to get him which is fun.  Hes more up-hill, and higher headed, but oh so much more broke!

Final show with Chilly

Well today was a very bittersweet day, my last show with Chilly. We ended up High Point Senior Green Horse (won all of her green classes), and got 2nd in one of our AQHA NA showmanship classes. Our High Point award was a trophy chair, my first one ever!

This means that Chevy has now produced a point earner (well 1/2 a point) in his first foal crop!  I'm so happy of that, I belive in him and in his foals and its nice to show that to the rest of our showing community.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be helping to break out and ride a three year old all winter and spring and then showing her all summer and loving it I would have called you a liar. However the real risk takers were D and C, they gave me the opportunity to ride and show a great horse, when my health hasn't been the greatest (and there were a few people who questioned my decision to ride a green horse!). This summer we've shown what great minded and quality horses they are producing. Sure there were days when I had to take care of Chilly, but there were days that Chilly really took care of me. I did shed a tear or two on the way home, but the closing of one door just means another is opening up just around the next bend.

Our show was great, our final showmanship pattern for the AQHA class was one of our best, and she was fantastic in the ring to show in the pleasure classes.  In our first pleasure class we actually had to go against the assistant trainer of my former boss riding one of his horses.  Chilly was great and won the class.  Normally the old boss can be grumpy when his student get beat but he came over afterwords and congratulated me on my win.

Lucas was at the show, and totally bombed out the first day in showmanship.  So although I hate stepping on toes I asked 'I' if I could tune them up a little bit the next day.  I've forgotten how much fun showmanship was with him.  In under 30 seconds it was like we hadn't been apart for 3 years.  'I' then went in and got 2nd in a tough class filled with kids prepping for congress.

Although Chilly's showmanship is good, she'll never be the showmanship horse that Lucas was, but her slower mind (she needs a moment to process the command then preform that command) means that she'll never be the spooky hot horse that Lucas was either.

And in a month I will finally move out of my parents house and into my own place.  My parents took me back in when I got sick, then kept me while I went back to school and then while I paid off student loans from going back to school.  It will be my first time living on my own with RA.  I still have the lease on Oscar for two months, and his owners have told me that even when that is over if I'm home, to take him for a ride.  My brother is also getting married in October so the next couple of months will be busy!

Chilly had her head twisted to look at the horse being bathed next to the ring but I love this shot anyway.