Time to get serious

Sky is moving into a boarding facility tomorrow! Although it is further away then I would like it is really nice and the people are educated so I feel very good knowing she will be there. Little does she know she is going to be started into full work while she is there also :) I am going to get her cleaned up and possibly bathed today if the weather improves a little and will post pictures when she moves!

Perfect pony doesnt always equal the perfect prize

I am 100000000 times proud of Mystic from the last two days. Every minute from the hours spent in the wash rack getting cleaned up to loading in the trailer to showing at the fair he was perfect. He never acted like the huge 4 horse ginormous carts were going to eat him or that the tens of hundred of people watching were going to jump over the rail and scare him. From warming up in the arena with rearing and naughty horses he kept his cool and kept focused on the work I was asking him to do. I honestly could not have asked for more out of him. Sadly, the judge didn't always agree. She was very scattered in her placing for every class. You would have the same horses in 3 different classes and she would place them completely different each time with basically the same performances from each horse. So although that was frustrating he was a start and came home with many pretty ribbons still. When he was tired he kept going when I asked him to and still performed how he knows how to. He got many very nice compliments from lots of people. I also met a dressage trainer that was there with a gypsy so we got to talk a little bit. It is nice to see other dressage gypsys out there!
I may not have left with the most blue ribbons but I left with the most amazing Gypsy ever :)

State Fair Preperation!

The state fair is fast approaching us! I really haven't done much of anything to get ready, whoops! As you can tell im super concerned about it... haha. I did start washing him because his feather and bottom of his tail are getting kind of dirt stained from being out on the pasture. Im not too worried because I dont think we will win our halter classes because his feather isnt the best from being out all the time. But I would rather have a happy horse then an unhappy one with lots of hair! The riding classes, however, will be another story! He is going to rock those. I am doing western classes with him even though I havent ridden him western since OHSET but why not do it? Might as well I think.
I have been getting frustrated riding him recently. I feel like I cant ever make any progress outside of our lessons and I dont know why. I just cant get anything that we work out in the lesson the next day, its like we walk out of the arena and it all escapes both of us. Its like buttons that we are installing are there one day then I cant get it to save my life the next. Im really thinking about maybe just doing a lesson every week because clearly I need it.
I also am starting to look at boarding places. I am just sub-leasing the stall he is in now and the person I am leasing it from is getting another horse sometime soon which would kick him out. So unless another horse leaves Mystic will have to move come October. I am not looking forward to it and this is the most ideal situation for him but we will live :) The problem is there are very few places that seem like a place I would leave him so I am going to have to travel a lot further. I looked at one today but it was a bust. I am going to look at one on Tuesday that seems promising but is on the opposite side of town. We will see, what happens is meant to be I guess

The good and the bad

Sadly Mystic will not be going to the dressage show tomorrow... I went out tonight and he had a crack half way up his hoof and a missing chunk :( I called the farrier right away but dont expect him to be able to come out before we would need to leave for the show. So I am pretty bummed about that but life will go on.

Sky on the other hand was great today! She got a bath this morning and tonight while we were around our bon fire my brother asked if he could ride her. So we threw her halter on and he jumped on bareback! Pretty brace considering she has only been ridden twice since I have had her and hasnt been worked in a good 2 weeks! She was so good!

I missed my boy!

I had a great time camping and visiting Mystics first home at my aunt and uncles house in Bend but I did miss my boys (Mystic, Harley, and Max :) ). It was so nice to be able to go out and ride him tonight and he was so good! Lesson night tomorrow, should be interesting since I hadnt ridden him in a week before tonight. Ill be more out of it then he will though.

This Saturday we are off to Two Pennies Ranch dressage show again where we are doing Training 2 and 3 this time! Then the next weekend we are headed to the State Fair show then xc schooling and hopefully his first eventing derby before our last Two Pennies dressage show! He is busy busy but I have a feeling he will be a shining star for it all :)

Skies the Plan

I finally got some decent action shots and video of Sky yesterday. I still need to get better video but its a start at least. She was really good and didnt freak out about me getting her to go, even when we were done or I was switching cameras she would come over to me to get some cookies :) She has also been better about her back legs. Now that I said it she will probably get worse again lol I am leaving for camping tonight (if I can get packed and ready with having to go into work early) so she will just be chilling all weekend but I hope to start working her next week so I can get her sold. She is a super nice mare to look at and her personality is great (except when she tried to kick me!), if she was a he I would be more tempted to keep her. But I already have my 'one and only' that will never go anywhere and is far exceeding my expectations of him so we are going to take what he is giving us and running with it to see how far we can get in both dressage and eventing! Anyways, here are the pictures and video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-VIzvXyv_Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDir-cC7B_k&feature=related
Im still kind of questioning her soundness... its be no means bad or super noticeable. In fact im having a hard time telling if she is off or not. She seems fine then she maybe looks a little funny and I just cant tell! Take a look

The Birthday Boy!

Mystic turned 4 yesterday! What a big boy he is becoming. Although he wasnt stellar for our ride he still got lots of cookies and love! For his birthday he got a new dressage saddle :) He has a lesson tonight with Alanna riding him. I will ride him tomorrow but then I am gone camping till Monday night so Alanna is also riding him over the weekend because then I have a lesson on the Wednesday I get back, which is also right before our dressage show! I cant wait to show him again!!

I got myself a Harley

I bought a Harley on Saturday!! Ok not a real one... but a cute little toy aussie named Harley :) He is an 11 week old red tri and the cutest little man ever! He was pretty shy and calm when we got him but he is really coming out of his shell now and playing between his long naps. He follows me around everywhere, he is going to be the perfect "take everywhere with you do" which is what I wanted. I just love him!

I also got one month pictures of Sky. She is looking so much better! The ribs are gone most of the time (except for when she is at weird angles) and she is really filling out. She is for sale if anyone knows anyone looking for a nice TB sporthorse prospect :)

Beach Boys

Yesterday my mom, Alanna, and I took our two ponies and three of our puppies over to the beach for a couple hours. Everyone loved it! The weather was perfect, the horses were great, and the dogs loved chasing the tennis ball into the water! Mystic was such a good boy. Even when he was a little scared at times he was still willing to do whatever I asked him to do. He was not a huge fan of the waves coming and crashing below him he got better towards the end. And he was totally game for going in any of the more still water and didnt hesitate at all, which is the big thing for me. If he will go in still water like what would be on a XC course then I am perfectly happy with that!

Mystic has a very busy next month. Starting 3 weeks ago we went xc schooling, then we had the dressage show, and yesterday we went to the beach. Now this weekend he gets to stay home but then he is off to a dressage show, the state fair, xc schooling, and then a derby at Lake Oswego! He is one busy boy!

The start of something great

Mystic and I had our first dressage lesson today. I have been so excited to start with him! I am taking two a month and since Alanna doesnt have anything to ride she is taking 2 a month on him also on the weeks that I am not so he will get consistent lessons. I dont think I have ever been this excited. I feel like at this point I finally have my dream horse. I feel like we will get somewhere in our showing career and will do great at the same time, we wont be stuck doing training level. I know that I cannot get him to his full dressage potential without help and am so thankful to have found such a great trainer that is in his barn to get lessons from!
Just seeing the progress we made in just one lesson amazes me! And I can actually feel the changes in stuff that we are working on so I can really differentiate when I am asking correctly vs using to much rein not enough leg, etc. Its also very nice to just have someone there telling you to do something then keeping onto you about it. Even though I understand what she is saying its just like old habits. Because I have been doing it so long sometimes you slip back into it and dont really realize it. When you have someone continuously reminding you of it you think about it more stay on top of it easier. That is the way I am at least. Now I have a little bit of time to work on what we worked on today and hope to show her our improvement in our next lesson!
On another note I am sending in our entries for both the state fair and the next dressage show this week :) YAY! I cant wait!

So happy

This is not horse related but I got to bring my puppy home from the vet today! He has TPLO surgery yesterday (kind of like acl for people). It was 50% torn on the same leg he had his full hip replaced! Its a good thing he is so darn cute because he is turning into our million dollar bionic dog! I was really worried about him. He got SO scared when we went in for a consult, I couldnt imagine leaving him overnight but they said he was super good. They could definitely tell he was really scared the whole time though and saw how happy he was when I came to pick him up. The incision looks super gross but he is already using it pretty well considering! He also isnt trying to bite or lick at it. I am keeping his cone head on except for taking him outside or if I am watching him close but he hasnt tried at all. Thankfully his doctor said he didnt have to stay in his xpen all day because he really doesnt like being in it with his cone on, its like a couble whammy for him. So I let him out as long as he lays down and he lays by my feet :) I never thought I would be so nervous leaving him for surgery, I almost cried when I left him there! I had to tell myself "Tarra this is a specialist he does this everyday and he has already been through a hip surgery, he will be fine!" It didnt help much but once I got the call that he was out of surgery I was ok. I was MUCH better once he was home though :) I bought him some sympathy bones today to suck up to him LOL!