Memorable Advice from a Wise Woman

A friend sent this to me yesterday. Feeling a little 'down' right now, the timing of this advice was ideal. I had to post it, if only as a reminder for me! Dear Readers, hope you enjoy this wisdom as much as I did. 

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting...' Then she said:

• 'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.' 

• 'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

• 'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

• 'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life.'

• 'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'

• 'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...'

• 'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.' 

• 'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.' 

• 'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back....' 

• 'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..'

• 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

Onward! Hope I can remember at least some of this wonderful advice, particularly the last one. 

Decision Made, Check Off the List!

Aitch and Me

Dear Readers with short attention spans, you'll love this post.

I've decided to ride Aitch in practice then Starzz in lesson until I feel completely comfortable on Starzz and Kelly says I'm allowed to canter on him during practice. Plan to ride Aitch this weekend. Will also go to visit him for some loving - and carrot - time!

Had some back injections yesterday, which should make riding more comfortable.

Onward feeling good about my decision!

Painted Ladies

This post's title does not refer to anything racy. If you haven't ever seen an equine drill team, this group is appearing at the Folsom Rodeo that begins on Friday, June 29. My friend, Mary, and I saw them last year at a horse show. They are really incredible. Check out this video, although the effect of what they do is much more impressive when you see them in person. Anyway, you'll get the concept. Attractive young women on Paint horses doing all manner of fancy moves. Pretty cool!

Still musing what I should do about my choice of horses. Leaning towards returning to Aitch. ERL suggested that I ride Aitch when I'm practicing and ride Starzz when I'm in my lesson with Kelly. A good suggestion that could provide a gradual transition. Update to follow when I've made a decision.

Onward.

Stars in My Eyes

Sometimes you have to have someone (or something, like a horse) take you down a few pegs to understand how much you still need to learn about a sport. In my case, the something was Starzz, a 21-year old Arab ex-show horse. As the expression - "I got my lunch handed to me!" - goes, that's exactly what happened to me today.

I don't think I completely grasped the vast difference between lesson horses and non-lesson horses, beyond the obvious - school horses are trained to take most any level rider, repeat the same patterns around the arena, treat those on their backs nicely, and generally do what they are told even if the rider's cues are not perfect. That's been my experience since I started riding a little over a year ago. Until Sunday's incident with Aitch, it's been a wonderful experience.

I've ridden three lesson horses: ChaCha, Jessie, and Aitch. All good horses, well-mannered, well-trained for their jobs. Starzz, however, has not been a lesson horse; he's been a show horse. As such, he needs a rider who gives the cues he has been trained to follow, not some woman flaying about, who wouldn't know a show horse's cues if one hit her in the face, despite her instructor calling them out (sit deep, sit still, don't post the trot because he won't canter if you go into it posting and many more).

Long story short (because some Dear Readers want posts condensed), today I worked very hard at riding Starzz. He is different from Aitch in numerous ways, starting with his gait, moving along the spectrum to "No, I don't just start to canter because we've reached point A in the arena. You are going to have to give me the proper cues to get me to canter." Oh, dear! That's not exactly what I am used to.

I'm sure Kelly, my instructor, was as frustrated with me as I was with myself. I was hot, crabby, and seemingly unable to do anything on Starzz. Finally, Kelly said, "Let's just call it a day!" after 7 attempts to move into a canter, one of which was successful.

Kelly told me if I did ride Starzz myself this weekend, I couldn't try to canter. That speaks volumes for her confidence (rather lack thereof) in my ability to ride him.

So it will soon be decision time. Do I get back on Aitch and continue to improve my riding skills or stay the course with Starzz so I can gain skills faster, with likely with more frustration? Or, was today just 'new horse' day, like the first day I rode Aitch? Fortunately, I don't have to make this decision today.

Onward.

Little Red Riding Hood or Too Big for My Breeches?

Courtesy of the Internet

Is Aitch a horse in wolf's clothing, out to show me who is truly the boss? Why do I have this feeling that I've abandoned him to some terrible fate? Should I continue to ride him or move on to Starz? Why is this all so hard to handle? After all, horseback riding is a hobby, not my profession. I refuse to make this activity like ice skating was for me; I made that sport a metaphor for life, in a million different (and generally mentally unhealthy) ways. Not going there again. Period, end of sentence, drop voice. 

Tomorrow I'll venture to the stable to talk with Kelly, my riding instructor. Must make sure she understands that Aitch is a very good horse who had a not-so-good rider on his back on Sunday afternoon. Don't want Kelly having any negative feelings about my boy, Aitch. 

I've decided to get back on Aitch this week. DH asked that I wait 48 more hours until my bruised leg is better. He doesn't want to risk a blood clot flying around inside my body. O.K., I got that. Good plan. However, I must make certain that no matter what happens between Aitch and me, I will not end our riding relationship - if end it will - on a sour note. He's a gorgeous, sweet horse and I have great fondness for him. And, the more distance I put between the accident and the present, the more I feel that this event was likely entirely my fault. 

This mishap was an important wake-up call. H-e-l-l-o? Riding requires constant vigilance about one's environment. I'm pretty sure that I had gotten just a little to big for my breeches and was thinking I was getting better at this riding stuff than perhaps I truly am. Will speak with Ms. Kelly about this too. 'Humbling' is the word that best describes the effect of this event on me in terms of riding. Never forget a horse is a 1,000+ pound animal who can move faster than what seems like the speed of light and has a mind of its own. The minute you think you're the one in charge, you stop being mindful of the signs that should alert you to something that's about to happen. 

Alright, big lesson learned. Onward - with Aitch or Starz - but still on a horse. Never, never, never give up. 

Upshot of Yesterday's 'Accident' with Aitch

Aitch and me in happier days
Photograph by Janet Rosenfield

I've included this picture to remind myself that I am perfectly capable of riding a somewhat 'high spirited' Arab and do it with confidence. After yesterday, I must admit to feeling a little spooked by Aitch. When I visited the stable today, I went to the pasture to make up with him. He took one look at me, moved away, and continued eating his breakfast like I wasn't even there. Maybe he doesn't like me anymore.

Explaining what happened yesterday to my instructor, Kelly, was hard because everything transpired so fast. She started asking all manner of question: "Were you looking at his eyes?", "Were you looking at the poles?", "Was his head tilted to the inside of the arena?" I would have loved to answer these questions, but I really don't have a clue. These inquiries led me to believe that Kelly thinks this is 'rider error' not 'horse error.' She may well be correct.

All of this noted, Kelly said that I'd be switching horses. Now I will be riding a new lesson horse named Starz. He is a great looking horse and has tons of show training. She said she was going to switch me to Starz anyway even before yesterday's incident. I will give Starz a try and see how this works out. Sure hope if I do ride Starz that the tack I purchased is going to work on him. Don't want to buy new tack just to ride a new horse. I know the saddle will work, but not sure about the girth. Will have to ask Kelly about this on Wednesday.

Onward.

What A Way to Start a New Blog

What happened to this sweet horse that I knew? Was it me or Aitch? Why didn't I get 'back on the horse' as all the advice suggests? All of these questions and more are flying through my brain, the day after Sir Aitch, as I call him, decided the send me into stacked-up ground poles on the side of the arena.


DH insists this accident was my problem. "Whoa, Nelly!" Could that be true? Whoever is to blame - if blame there must be - it happened so fast that I can't even get my head around the circumstances so I can avoid it in the future. Bummer. 


I was at the end of my ride yesterday, with my fellow rider and business partner, Mary, in the arena on ChaCha. We had both had good rides, although I was unable to get Aitch to collect. I was making one more circle and "Slam! Bam!', the next thing I knew I had a searing pain in my leg, felt the hard surface of the poles on my calf and then it was over! 


I think I let out a scream or perhaps it was more like a screech, but I'm a little hazy on that detail. I stopped Aitch, caught my breath, then dismounted, thinking it best to get off him. It didn't even occur to me to make certain he was alright (bad horse 'Mom'). I must have figured that if he was injured, he would have let me know. 


When I untacked him, looked at my leg immediately. I expected to see a layer of skin gone; rather, I spied a big bump that was quickly filling up with fluid and becoming more painful. Mary and I went for something cold to drink at our local post-ride haunt - The Flower Farm in Loomis, CA - to cool down. I could feel the bump on my leg getting larger. By the time I got home, it was very large and turning a dreadful color. 


Thank goodness for ice. I spent the remainder of the day/night with ice on my leg. Happy to report that this morning, some of the swelling has gone down, the bruise is not quite so black and blue (this could be my imagination, however) and it generally feels/looks better. But there will be no riding this week, as the location of the bruise is problematic for that activity.


I'm off to deliver a saddle to my friend, Janet, then while waiting for her to give it a try, I will have a good talk with Aitch to find out what happened. Hope he can shed some light on all of this, but something tells me he won't be talking. 


Onward into equine-land. A little shaken, but still determined.