“I get by with a little help from my friends.”
- John Lennon

• Yeah, not too original title, but it there are SO many quotes about friendship, I picked a broad and widely known one. Anyway, every equestrian knows the importance of an equine partner: a four-legged friend who will always have your back…in a manner of speaking.
  But for the equestrian straddling barn life with a normal life, human friends can be your most valuable possession. They can be your glue that holds your life together, they can be the sunshine on your cloudy day, they can be the shoulder to cry on and the social relief that your 9-5 (or in my case, 8-6, then 8-3, then 11-7….) schedule needs. Bottom line: YOU NEED HUMAN FRIENDS.
  It’s okay to have friends at the farm, but I’m not talking about those who you say hi, feed a few horses and go back home, I’m talking the people who you would feel comfortable calling them up and hanging out with at your house on weekday night when its too early to sleep and too late for riding outside.
  Really, a few good friends who you feel comfortable with (the more the merrier, but be sure you have time for ALL of them) can add a degree to your life that just makes everything feel better.

Lesson Learned: Friends take their shoes off before they come inside your door. Best friends are already wearing their slippers! (That’s my favorite quote…from me and my other hip!)

Weather forecasting…is wrong too often for us to rely on it.

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.

~Patrick Young

There’s a saying in New England that gets passes around here frequently: If you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minuets. When you own a horse (or just ride in general) you (and your horse) need to be prepared for rain, mud, high force winds, and blistering heat all within the same day. Okay well, we’ll be more realistic: all within the same week. So for the equestrian leading the double life, I’ve created a little list for you and your equine partner that you should never be caught without.

1. Long underwear. I always have two pairs–double them up in the colder temperatures under your regular riding clothes for extra warmth. For your equine partner, an exercise rug does just the trick to keep his muscles warm in warming up.
2. Socks. Lots and lots of socks. Wal-Mart usually has great deals on socks in bulk.
3. Thick heavy weatherproof sweater or jacket. Hand-me-downs work the best for this. Generally, you are not going to spend $200.00 on something that’s just bound to get muddy, dirty, covered in hay, horse snot, etc.
4. Groom, groom, groom…ALL WINTER LONG. If you don’t want to clip, that’s fine….just make sure to keep on top of the mud and the ice—that reeks havoc on your poor horses’ hooves and legs. Invest in a small, basic, personal grooming kit: curry comb, hard brush, hoof pick.
5. In warmer weather, you’ll want to have plenty of water bottles…or at least a cooler which can keep your liquids cold for you. Your horse will continue to need grooming, but now you can move on to baths after workouts and once a week a deep cleansing all over.

Lesson Learned: If you can live here, you can live anywhere.

Have something to retire to

” Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.”

~Harry Emerson Fosdick

• It’s inevitable: everything ages. Nothing escapes the effects of time–joints stiffen, eyesight weakens, your memory starts to slip, etc. While I’m NO WHERE NEAR retiring myself, every equestrian has an equine partner who, at 25 years young is elderly to a horse, will have to retire one day. Most equestrians learned to ride on an older horse: a horse who has “been there, done that”, fearless, stubborn, smart…too smart. But it’s these characteristics that point to the appropriate time to retire.
  Hopefully most of us have not had to make that decision on our own. Neither have I, but one of my current partners is starting to show her age. Retirement escapes no one. While horses love to have a job to do, we all agree that after a faithful and loyal life to us, there is nothing better to seem them at their happiest in a grassy field in a herd where they can be themselves. This current partner of mine has a case of too much heart not enough body–her heart and spirit are in the right place, but her body just isn’t allowing her to do the things she loves safely. Fortunately it isn’t my choice, it’s her owner. And in this case, it is entire up to the owner of the horse what to do.

Lesson Learned: Allow a graceful aging process to happen–don’t force them to do what you wish you could do, allow them to perform to the best of their aging bodies’ ability. “Time grows old and men grow cold…but horses are a girls’ best friend”.

But we have meat, and we can eat – And let the Lord be thanked.

“Some have meat, and cannot eat, And some cannot eat that want it; But we have meat, and we can eat – And let the Lord be thanked.”  —-Robert Burns Scottish national poet of Scotland, who wrote lyrics and songs in the Scottish dialect of English. 1759-1796

• Not really the best thought provoking quote, but I wanted to talk about the most controversial issue in the equestrian world: horse meat. People growing up in the western hemisphere have a psychological problem in the idea of consumption of horse meat. I would like to challenge this and ask, really, what is so wrong in eating horse meat? People in Hindu cultures celebrate the cow as a holy icon…I’m sure they think similarly to how we eat beef in this part of the world.
• I for one would like to be the type of Equestrian who wants to try horse meat for the fact that I think it’s important to get a handle on all issues before making a judgment. And it is an issue that plagues the horseman world: between the appalling conditions that we are bombarded with images of horses in transport to slaughter to the “end of the road” fate that we fear.

Lesson Learned: I feel that to fully understand an issue to must look from all sides. This is mine. I’d like to know what yours is!

“Bravery is to perform…even when scared half to death…”

“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.”

–Omar Bradley

I can’t think of a more terrifying experience than being on the back of a 2,000 pound animal going close to 30 mph with nothing to slow you down but the looming possibilty that one measley gopher might be nearby….

As humans…well, as animals, really…we are built in with the ability to stand and fight when someone threatens us, or to turn and run. Horses, 9 times out of ten will choose to run. Which, makes sense…they are closer to the bottom of the food chain…but they can defend themselves rather well, especially when cornered (ironic).

But for humans, we’re at the top, and yet, for some reason, when we are frightened, we tend to, as my coach calls it, “fetal up”. It’s just what it sounds like, curling your body inward to protect your vitals (chest, heart, lungs, etc.) and thus, giving away your back end support on your horse.

To one of my students, who was maybe 6 or so, she would do this when her pony got too fast (it’s instinct, it’s natural…but to control a horse, this needs to be corrected…soon). So I encouraged her to sit up tall and to throw her shoulders further backward toward the rear than would normally feel comfortable. Of course this took some struggling…expected. But I was so proud of her, because she sat up and stayed tall even when the pony would trot a whopping 6.5mph! (Oh my!)

Lesson Learned: Kids are the bravest creatures I’ve ever met. Also the most entertaining.

“Love is stronger than death….in the end, life is stronger than death.”

“Love is stronger than death even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can’t separate people from love. It can’t take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.”

–Anonymous

• As much as no one wants to think about this, death is a part of life. Everyday I open the paper and every other article has something to do with some loss of life or something else similar to this. It’s digusting. But death is an inevitable part of life. And to an equestrian, nothing will seem as devastating as the death of one’s equine partner. While I have not witnessed the passing of any of my equine partners (yet), I can imagine that others in the community have. And with all the unwanted horses out there nowadays, deaths of these beautiful animals are going to be faced everyday.
• But as equestrians, it is part of our life to love horses. We love them in a way that a day cannot go by without thinking of them, without wanting to incorporate them in same small way into our days….we just love them. So for this, I offer this comfort: love conquers all, even death. When death succumbs our friends, by means of abuse, slaughter, or natural causes, our love will find them peace. If you know a friend who needs to surrender their equine friend, or maybe you need to yourself. Know that the love that we all feel will find them comfort and peace.

Lesson Learned: Love your equine partner like today was his/her last day alive. Think about that.

Ash’s Show Progress ‘09: Update #2

Update #2:

So today I thought I would share a wonderful experience with everyone: I had my very first ride on the beach. I’ve never been before, and today was simply wonderful
……save for the part when the other horse took off and herd instincts overran my horse and we found ourselves racing down the beach….my adrenaline still hasn’t caught up with me.
But it was simply a pleasure to be riding on the beach…and my coach David was kind enough to take pictures!

So with that said, here’s an update:

• April 5, 2009 will tentatively right now our first show date. It will be at Evenstride, Ltd Farm in Byfield. It is a Hunter show (series) and a good show to bring up Colby. After that, we’ll see how things go and see what else he’d like to do.
• David gave me a show schedule for 2009…all local shows. We’ll cross reference and go from there.
• A little tidbit that David said in a conversation that I wanted to share: We’re not out here to prove anything.
  We’re not showing to win (while it’s fun), like I’ve said before in earlier posts, winning isn’t everything and it’s the experiences that you gain that are the real trophies. Colby is young and we feel he will make an excellent hunter horse, and we want him to have good experiences–if we push him or if we enter the ring for the wrong reasons no one will have fun and he’ll turn sour. Think positive, positive, positive!

But um….here are a few pictures that David took with his cell phone.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, PLEASE! If you do steal this picture, please use it for educational use only. Private property. Thanks.

Colby and myself

Colby and Myself

Colby and Myself

“Leadership born from those who need it”

“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.”– Marian Anderson

• So I think it’s safe to say that no rider got to where they are today (in whatever stage you might be in) without an instructor at some point in their life. No one gets to the top without a support system of some kind. We all need a hand in getting up and reaching further in our goals.
  Currently I’m in the process of studying up for my Riding Instructor’s Exam for my Teaching License. A few people have already approached me about setting up some lessons–I love teaching, and I love working with others, and horses are (and always will be) my life–I can’t see a more perfect fit.
  Maybe I can be as great of a leader as my instructors were to me….
  

Lesson Learned: If you have the drive and the knowledge, you can be the leader that others will look to. Go get out there and do it!

Ash’s Show Progress ‘09: Update #1

Update #1:

So this is out of context from what I usually do, but I felt the need that besides just dishing out advice on the delicate balancing act that equestrians daily must juggle, I thought I should also give quick little notes about how it’s all REALLY going.

After all, you’re only as good as your word goes.
…or, whatever that stupid saying is….

Whatever!
Either way, here goes….

• Went for a quick ride with David (my coach) today. Talked about upcoming season. Next week’s show has been scrapped due to ice—his trailer is locked in like 8 inches of ice right now!
• Looked ahead to show schedule–too early to make any definite decisions. David suggested that we do a few Eventing Shows. I’m especially looking forward to these.

Short and sweet.

If anyone in the N.E. area has a show that will be held this summer, please mention it to me! We need some venues!

“…You May Not Win…”

“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.” — Tom Krause

• Every competition my students enter I always remind them: Keep your eyes off the prize. It’s not the ribbon at the end of the day–if people brag about it then they are the weaker person–it’s impressive for horse sales…at upper levels…but for now, the learning process is the most important. Focus on breathing, doing your best, and having a good time. If, at the end of the day, you did all that you could to do your best, no one got hurt, and you had a good time, what more could you ask for?

Lesson learned: Ribbons collect dust. Learning collects experience. Smiles collect fun!