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.

AWESOME lesson!!

Yesterday I had an awesome lesson. It was really hot so Linnea wasn't going to push either me or Red too much. We worked on some flatwork and jumping stuff. But it was about my position. She had me arch my back and close my hip angle a little more and she was like "YES!!! You've got it!!!!" She was soooo excited. She was also like "Look at how light yours hands are! They're not pulling on him at all!" I'm now realizing that I don't need to hold my breath. I'm not as scared as I used to be but still I do hold me breath. We've found that the faster I go or the more I do at one time, the more I hold my breath. Linnea is trying to help me with that. I'm starting breathe more easily when I ride but it's still really hard. At my lessons people generally hear "Christen, take a breath." Linnea reminds me as I go that I need to take a breath. Yesterday she had me practicing my sitting trot, which I haven't really done in forever, and made me talk to her as I went. We were gonna work on my canter but we ran out of time cause it took me so long to get ready. But I think we're going to do some more flatwork at my next lesson. I think it's funny cause I usually HATE flatwork. But... I thought that lesson was really fun. Maybe cause it actually felt like I was doing it right? I don't know. Oh well. i got to go. I'm on my parents computer cause mine is being stupid and the wireless router is not working. Grrrrr. And i'm not sure if it's fully my adapter or if it's my computer. I kinda want the macbook pro......