If you want to get in shape, take up Reining!

Wow, my thighs are STILL sore and it has been 5 days since my last reining lesson. If you want to get in shape, take up reining. At the last clinic, we did a lot of cantering and working on sitting straight in the saddle and keeping our horses bent to the inside (just a hair). I could hardly breathe afterward. To heck with posting the trot, just canter a lot! Hmmm, that rhymed, too. Aren't I clever?

Hormonal Mare also did a superb little sliding stop. It was my first and I have never felt anything like it. Don't get the wrong idea, it was not a slide across the arena. We merely slid about a foot, but WHOA. I have felt Hormonal Mare stop quick before. In fact, she does it all the time. THIS time, however, it felt very different. It felt like her butt dropped out from underneath me (which I guess it did) and I was jerked so hard I hit the horn. I must have looked very impressive with my eye bugging out of my head.

After that, we started working on spins. That really killed me. It was all my pathetic, out of shape body could do to get her to move her forehand around. At this point, Hormonal Mare was tired and did not want to work anymore. I can't blame her, but if I had to keep working, so did she.

Over all, it was a great clinic. I love the trainer and the group I am riding with is great. The barn is fabulous. It is the only dry place I have been able to ride in for the past month. Here in Florida, it has been raining every darn day. My arena is like a river at the moment. I think fish are living out there now. Obviously, I have not been able to ride at all. The few times I have ridden are at the indoor barn for the reining lessons.

Also, I finally got a good pic of Hormonal Mare and I from the past show we went to. Here she is in the warm up area. If only she had looked like this in the RING in front of the JUDGE we might have placed higher. Oh well, our next show is August 8th. Here's to placing higher!

Please dear God in heaven, HELP me!

How friggin ANNOYING. I really adore Hormonal Mare, but some times she is so ... hormonal!! I know, surprise, surprise. What can I say, she matches her name. Normally, Hormonal Mare is sweet as the day is long. She's just an all-around sweetheart of a mare. She does have her flaws, however. Don't we all *seriously dripping sarcasm here*. I swear, her spookiness is going to be my undoing. I understand she is only 3 years old and all, but please God in heaven, take pity on me and let her grow out of this.

At the reining clinic (it was SO much fun), we had our first BIG spook. We were cantering around just fine. In fact, better than fine! I felt so free and alive. I felt like a goddess on her gorgeous, powerful steed (well, maybe a FAT goddess, but a goddess none the less). Hormonal Mare was so smooth and supple. It was just the most awesome feeling. You know the black stallion riding on the beach with the little boy scene? Yeah, it was like that ... only in an indoor arena with metal siding and dirt instead of sand and waves. Yeah, see the similarities? Anywhoo, you get the picture. Well, to get to the point, Hormonal Mare sees a big green sign leaning up against the railing and jumps through the air completely sideways like a rabbit with a coyote after it. I stayed on easily enough, but I felt a lot of air under my pants and I didn't pass any gas. Okay, that was a bit gross in my description, but you get the idea.

Now, again, I understand she is 3 years old. I am allowing for a lot of error here. The spooking doesn't annoy me so much as the fact that she had already passed by it FIVE TIMES before she suddenly decided it might eat her. What the heck? Please God all powerful and wonderful, let her grow out of this.

So, the last straw was tonight at feeding time. I walked through the pasture to get her for her evening meal. Everything was very normal. Nothing out of place, no odd animals running around, NOTHING. Hormonal Mare absolutely INSISTED that there was a huge, horse eating monster in the pasture and refused to get anywhere NEAR it even for her food. So, I spend 15 minutes trying to convince her that there is NO horse, eating monster and that it is safe to come eat her food. My husband comes out of the house screaming at my asking why in the heck I'm taking so long. I scream back that the dumb horse is being dumb and I'm being dumb for putting up with it and it's all just dumb, dumb, dumb. So, the dumb horse very quietly and all relaxed like saunters into the pasture and starts eating like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. WTF?? I mean really, WTF????? I am not normally one for vulgar language, but this just made me want to scream and pull my hair out.

Please pray with me. Dear superb, masterful being in heaven; PLEASE let my hormonal idiot grow out of this highly annoying, dumb, stupid, idiotic, friggin nuisance of a phase. Amen.

Long time no post! Update!

Goodness! It has been WEEKS since my last post. I am very sorry to those of you that are readers. I had computer issues at home and my work computer blocks Blogger from my use. I was so busy with reining clinics and shows that I wasn't able to deal with the problem.

Speaking of reining clinics, Hormonal Mare and I went to our first one! I am REALLY, really, REALLY out of shape. The clinic lasted 3 hours and I barely made it out alive and sitting on top of my horse. That was a work out! Considering that we sat still for half of it, it's kind of sad how much it took out of me. Hormonal Mare got, well, hormonal on me half way through and laid down with me still in the saddle. I guess she wanted to let me know what she thought of it all. What a hormonal COW. Actually, it didn't upset me too much considering she is only a 3 year old and this was her second outing.

Which brings me to her FIRST outing; we went to our first show, too! Am I full of new stuff or what? Yes, our first show was a rather BIG show. I spent way too much money and decided I should have opted for something smaller. Hormonal Mare was quite a good girl, but for a few set backs. Her first set back was the fact that she had a FIT the morning of the show. I wasn't expecting it since she had been so calm the evening before when we went into the ring. So, surprise on me, Hormonal Mare got HORMONAL the next morning and I had to lunge her for a good 20 minutes before she acted normal.

Her next set back was a miniature horse. The large horses pulling carts didn't bother her but the MINI pulling a cart, OH MY! After that, she settled down fairly well. The railing and the people standing by it kept making her half step away every time I tried to get her on the rail. That is something she will get used to with more shows, though. Overall, she was a good girl and we did place in a few classes. Best of all, she could have cared less about all of the horses and action going on around her. I was very pleased!

Oh, golly, how could I forget? We did have a third set back. Hormonal Mare decided she did not want to come home. After being in the heat all friggin day, I was ready to pack up and leave. Nooooo, not Hormonal Mare. She planted her feet and refused to move. It took 6 people and 2 hours to get her loaded. When we got home we worked on loading some more. I am pleased to say that with a lunge line and some coaxing, I can load her all by myself. Thank you John Lyons!

Although I mostly mentioned the bad, Hormonal Mare truly was a very good girl considering her age and lack of exposure. She was probably better than many seasoned horses that I have shown. Heck, she was better behaved than most of the horses at the show! I am already planning on our next show and our next reining clinic. I'll have some photos up soon, too. Here's to green horses and shows; what a non-stop headache.