I realized something.

Last night I went with my friend, Elaine , to go see Secretariat. During the movie I realized that the horse that I ride is just like him. He's a determined being. When he does something right, he knows it and when he does it wrong, he, yet again, knows it. He will try with all his heart to do what I want. Last Thursday I fell off and landed infront of him. He nudged me with his nose and started licking me. I rubbed his nose from the ground. When I got up he thought I was mad at him. I wasn't. I was mad at myself for falling off when I should have stayed on. I got back on, patted him, and went to go over the jump again. We did good. Over the past few years i've learned many things. Most of those things are from what I learned from the trainers i've had and the horses i've ridden
Toby- I learned to trust, love and to KICK!
Clark- I learned to be determined and stubborn
Abigail- I learned that I have choices
Jules- I learned to ride with light hands and to never trust barn dogs near the ring.
Grayson-I learned NOT to kick and to be even LIGHTER with my hands.
Ziggy- I learned to be even MORE stubbborn, determined and to stay away from him.
Count- I learned not to trust.
Red- I started to learn to trust again and to use more leg.
Baby- I learned even more trust and to use EVEN MORE leg.
Tripp- I learrned to hate birds and to kick harder.
Reina- I learned to use less leg.

Trainers
Linnea- I learned the basics of riding and to trust the horses and people around me.
Jessica- I learned to be stubborn,determined and to not trust people.
Cindy- I learned to be even more leary of people.
Linnea- I'm learning even more about riding and the trust people yet again and building up confidence in riding again and especially to breathe while riding.

Lesson tomorrow

Hey guys! Just wanted to say that things are going well right now. I have a lesson tomorrow @5 with Linnea. I'm probably riding Baby :) Hopefully I'll jump and canter in this lesson!

Had a lesson this weekend

This weekend I rode, for the first time since June, in a group lesson. There were two other girls riding with me. Katie who rode Red, Emily (Sp? I know of alot of ways to spell this name) rode Jazz, and I rode Baby. Ok, so at first all the horses were frisky cause of the cooler weather so we had to tire them out during our warm ups. Then we mainly worked on eq on the flat. Emily is new to the barn so Linnea wanted to see what she could do. In the end we all were asking for more cause we were all tired of only doing a posting trot. So Linnea now knows that we all want MORE! But anyway, Baby was ALOT easier to ride. Normally when we go along one of the straight parts of the ring we zig-zag along it. This time we only did that ONCE!!! I was so happy. My legs don't hurt too bad right now from that workout. Haha! But anyway, in October the barn has a fall festival and I was asked to work during it and to participate in a riding demo. So now it looks like i'll be spending the 30th at the barn. Which I totally don't mind! :D

Senior year has begun!

This past Wednesday was the first day of school. So far it's okay. Alot of different teachers are at the school while the school had huge budget cuts. BUt anyway... yah. Thursday I went and had a lesson with Linnea. I rode Baby. THat lesson was difficult to say the least. I was nervous to ride Baby and it didn't help that i was in pain before I ever got on her. But we'll get better eventually. Today I have to get things ready for my senior ad in the yearbook. I'm trying to make it as horsey as I can but thats hard since my mom says it can't be very horsey. Grrr... oh well.

A few weeks ago at my lesson my mom and Linnea were talking to each other on the phone. I didn't know this but my mom invited Linnea to go with us on a cruise next year :) haha that won't be weird at all haha. not really, Linnea is practically family anyway. Even my mom thinks that so yeah....Well i better go since it's almost 10:00am and i'm not ready to go out to the store yet. I wish it was Saturday so I could go to the tack shop :P

I had a lesson yesterday!

During my lesson on Red, we worked on all my angles. I was having difficulty keeping my shoulders back and my legs stretched down. I think part of the problem with the legs were that I had started out with my stirrups too long then I shortened them 2 holes when i should have only shortened them one hole. OH well. I'll remember that next time. Anyway. We worked on my postion mainly at the trot. Red was really slow at first. He had just done a western lesson and we were like "Red we're doing english now!" He sped up. At the end we did do some jumping. My Eq is getting better over fences I just forget at times and my shoulders come forword and I round my back :( But it'll get better with time. I just have to remember that. I will post pics later since I haven't gotten them off of the camera yet.

As school gets closer...

As school gets closer I am now realizing that I really am a senior. It scares me a little. I'm getting ready to start my last year of high school. So this week I don't have much to do other than go to my riding lesson on Thursday @ 6 with Linnea. Saturday is a family thing (Which i really wish I had a horse show to go to instead.) Then the next week is kinda busier... I have senior pics on the 18th and possible a schedule change... I'm not sure though. Then school starts on the 25th. My parents are going camping during this time. And I have a riding lesson the first week of school...well as far as I know.... i'm not sure cause Linnea may be going out of state for a week I'm just not sure of when that is. So that riding lesson is a maybe right now.

Since I'm on a different computer (Cause mine is still not working right and we don't think it ever will again) I thought i'd share an old show pic. This is back from my first show season. 2008. This was at my first walk/trot/canter show. It was with my 2nd trainer, Jessica, Linnea had been my previous trainer, but anyway, WE went to this show and here are the horse/pony and rider pairs.

For walk/trot

Hallie and Clark

Anna Grace and Toby

For walk/trot/canter

Madison and Sugar

Elizabeth and Clark

Christen(Me) and Toby

I had told Linnea that we were going to this show so she came to watch us. Quite frankly....she wasn't happy. She thought Elizabeth, Madison and I were not ready for a walk/trot/canter class at a horse show. ANd she really wasn't happy when she saw Elizabeth lose control of Clark and nearly t-bone me and Toby. I knew Linnea was going to come to the show to watch and I knew she was there because I had seen her truck. I saw her later for like 2 seconds then I had to take Toby to the trailer. I saw her on her way to leave later so i threw Toby's lead rope to Elizabeth and i chased after Linnea. She said I'll talk to you later. And that was pretty much it. And a few people from the barn where I was going to go next were watching us. Linnea left and i just stood there.I didn't wanna go back to the trainer that hated me. I wanted Linnea to be my trainer again but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon cause the farm where she was teaching was over an hour away from where I live. SO sadly i went back to the trailer and groomed and loaded the horses. We left and went to the barn and ate lunch. THe barn owners were happy cause all of the riders came home with at least one ribbon. THey were really happy with me and Madison since we placed in every one of our classes. No one knew that it was around this time that i started of thinking about going to a new barn.

Got my schedule...

Got my schedule for senior year. My school always manages to get things wrong. I'm in a class that i definatly said no about taking . Grrrr
!st Semester
Communications
Psychology
Foods 1
Discrete Math

2nd Semester
Biotech 2
Agricultural Advanced Studies
Individual Lifetime Sports <---Did NOT want this one.
English 4

I was gonna see if i could switch to and academic class instead of lifetime sports but the only science i have left that I can take is Chemistry. My mom thinks i've already taken wayyy too many sciences as it is.