Robin Stang Horsemanship Clinic

Okay, if you've started to read this entry, take a break, stretch your legs, maybe run to the kitchen for something to drink, grab a snack and then continue reading....it's gonna take a while...WHAT A WEEKEND!!

Our friends hosted a Robin Stang Horsemanship Clinic this weekend. This is the event I had been getting my horse, Sasha, ready for, but she developed heaves this past week so I couldn't ride her. After much internal debate, I decided to ask to ride their horse Soul for the clinic. He may have his issues, but we really do get along very well together and I love that horse! It was the BEST decision I could have made. It's been years since anyone asked him to do any of the things that we learned together this weekend, but he is SOOO smart that he picked it all up and his owners were completely flabbergasted at how well we did! They said that NOONE has EVER ridden him as well as I did! Needless to say, I'm awestruck and amazed since I'm still such a beginner - but I did really push myself and him and it was so worth it! They've offered him to me as a free lease, simply because he doesn't normally get used very much and they would like to see how far I could take him. I'm undecided because I already have WAY too many horses....

We started out with dinner on Friday evening. At that point I realized that it was going to be a better weekend than I was anticipating simply because the group was fantastic! A wonderful mix of people, some of whom I was already familiar with, and also some new faces. Everyone was very friendly and we shared ALOT of laughs. Almost all of them are team penners, which is what I'm working towards.

Saturday morning we started out by warming up our horses, and already I was thinking that Soul was a good choice because he was really listening to me and seemed happy to be working. Robin gathered us all around him and we introduced ourselves and told him what we were hoping to learn. I discovered that I was NOT the only "greenhorn", but that most of the people there were just hop on and go riders like me! That immediately relieved me of some of my anxiety over looking like an idiot! We started riding our horses around, a few at a time and learned how to slow them down by lifting up their shoulders with light contact on the reins and using our legs. Soul did great at this and it really worked. Soon we were loping around on a loose rein, a first for us, perfectly in control and relaxed - what a feeling!! Then we worked on sidepassing and spinning on the haunches. NOT Soul's strong point. After practicing it for a while, Robin suggested I give him a break, and take that home to practice with my little mare, whom he rememebered from the clinic last summer, and who does work well off my leg on sidepasses and spins. I was quite flattered that he remembered her! Then we broke for lunch...

After lunch I faced down my worst fear and lived to tell the tale and laugh about it - believe me, if this had happened to me last summer, I would have been standing in the middle of the arena on quivering legs and crying big tears! Instead, I laughed and LOVED it! Warming up is always a challenge when there are a lot of horses because it gets so confusing with everyone doing something different and heading in different directions. Well, there were !15! horses warming up, and for some reason at one point ALL of us started loping our horses around the arena, in the same direction, at the same time!! It was like being on a merry-go-round!! Soul, being part thoroughbred, (he's an appendix quarter horse) wants to be the fastest, so we were weaving in and out around the other horses. Everyone was laughing about this being a train wreck waiting to happen and wondering who was going to crash first! It was WILD!! Finally we came to a halt and got started on our lessons for the afternoon.

We learned to do rollbacks, first at a trot and then at a lope. They were soooo fun, and Soul worked well off my leg and did it properly after only a few tries. It was great! Then we tried sidepassing over a log, turning on the forehand to turn 90 degrees and sidepass over another log, then back between 2 poles, turn on the haunches 90 degrees and back out of the poles. These exercises were a real challenge because Soul doesn't like to sidepass or back straight. When I apply the leg cues, he likes to take several steps quickly, instead of slowly. But, we practiced it a few times until we could do it properly, and then we quit. Robin said that the biggest mistake riders make is to ask their horses to do things over and over again. He said that if you quit when they do it right, the horse will remember that that is what you wanted and you have rewarded him the best way possible by letting him rest.

For dinner, we all went to the Chuckwagon Restaurant and had a REALLY fun time. We laughed so hard that the woman who had cracked her ribs a few months back was REALLY sore afterwards. We were all making fun of each other and telling jokes and just generally enjoying each other's company. What a fun group of people!

Sunday morning we started warming up our horses, and I immediately discovered that Soul had learned his lessons the day before - he was sidepassing and spinning! Robin suggested I put spurs on, just to make sure that he didn't ignore my leg commands and Soul was NOT happy about that. But, I was careful not to use them unless I really needed them, so he settled down and his sidepasses and spins were much better.

Our first task was to learn to pick up their OUTSIDE shoulder and move them over - the idea being that will release pressure on the cow so that he will slow down and be easier to control. Soul did well listening to my leg cues for this. Then, we played a game where 2 riders would face off and try to keep each other from crossing the arena. By picking up our horses shoulders, we could angle and stop the other rider. That was SOOO much fun and really quite WILD!! At one point Soul wasn't going quite fast enough, so I really spurred him and BOY did he BUCK!! But, I rode it and we continued on. Each time I ignore his bucking, I think he does it less often. It seems to be becoming less of a problem. I'm certainly less afraid of it....

I was the first one back in the arena after lunch, so I had a nice relaxing time warming Soul up. I practiced flying lead changes with him and after 3 botched attempts, we NAILED it! I was THRILLED, to say the least. Then, they brought in the cows and we got to apply our knowledge to controlling the cows. Soul was much more agreeable to chasing the cows than he has been in the past because I was really telling him what to do and it was amazing to see how it works when you use these cues. We ended the day by doing some 3 man sorting. I didn't miss a cut or lose a cow!!!! That is a HUGE accomplishment for me! It was a fantastic way to end the weekend, putting everything we had learned to use in the manner in which we want to use it - in the team penning arena.

Whew, still with me? Now I can share what the rest of the family did! Dad spent Saturday at a Scouting training event. He learned a lot too! And had a great day.... Our youngest went to my parents overnight on Friday and on Saturday he got to shoot Grammie's BB Gun, so he was REALLY happy. Then his other grandparents picked him up and brought him up our way to McDonald's to meet Dad, who went to pick up our oldest son after getting out of his training. Our oldest son stayed with a friend overnight on Friday and then stayed for his friend's birthday party on Saturday. The boys got to play at the PlayPlace for a while so that Dad could visit with his parents. They had a blast!!

On Sunday they had their Pinewood Derby race. They were disappointed because the cars they built didn't win, but they had fun anyway. We were all exhausted by Sunday evening when I got home, so after sharing all our stories and eating sandwiches for supper, we went to bed early....

Mommy the Guitar Hero...

Well, I thought Daddy was weird to try to learn to play the electric guitar - aren't we a bit old for head banging music? Until I picked it up and tried it....and discovered that I have talent!! I am completely flabbergasted, but I absolutely LOVE it!! I've made it through all of the songs at the easy level, all but 2 of the songs at the medium level and a few of the songs at the HARD level....all within 25 hours of picking it up!! Daddy just sits there watching me with his mouth hanging open. He can't possibly keep up!

I took Sasha over to the arena to ride again last night and she did some more coughing. She definitely is developing heaves! NOT GOOD...Needless to say, I won't be riding her in the clinic this weekend, after all, and we'll be making some changes in our feeding program. What a bummer...

I got to ride their stallion! He was AMAZING to ride - all you have to do is think it and he'll do it! He's extremely responsive and highly trained. And what a powerhouse! He's so athletic it's unbelievable. They thought that I would be too afraid to ride him, but I did it anyway. I just sat there really quiet and he settled right down and did what I asked. He had a small tantrum at one point, but I stayed calm and he smoothed out and we tried it again. I was so excited!!

Guitar Hero...

I've been working on the team penning newsletter and not my blog....sorry! Here's what you've missed...

On Monday afternoon I went over to a friend's arena to ride with her. I rode Soul - who was very fresh and naughty because noone had ridden him in ages. She was a bit nervous about me riding him since the last person to ride him got BUCKED OFF!! But, Soul and I get along really well and I am always careful not to run him too soon because he is very cold-backed. He still bucked a little bit when I asked him to pick up a lope, but after a few minutes he settled down. I can never decide if he's nice to me 'cause he thinks he can't get away with it or because he knows I can't ride all that well...

Then she asked me if I wanted to ride another friend's horse because Image really needed the exercise. Boy, was she fresh! She was REALLY testing me and I had to really concentrate on my riding in order to keep her under control. She kept grabbing the bit and running right through it! That's pretty scary, but it also reminds you to keep your cool and that you have other ways of controlling the horse. Then, when I loped her, she REALLY started to run! And she kept ducking the corners, which scared the pants off me! But, once I started really sitting back, it became apparent that when I sat forward was when she sped up, and once we figured it out we had a really nice ride. I taught her to let go of the bit the same way I taught Sasha and Kitch. Just with little bumps on either rein until she dropped her head and let go of it, then relaxing the reins. It took her a while, but then she figured it out and was going around the arena with her head down and on a loose rein. It was great!

I made it home, just as the school bus was coming down the hill! Talk about cutting it close! After getting the boys settled into doing their chores, I took Sasha out and lunged her for a while. It was too icey again to ride her! But, yesterday, even though the wind was enough to knock you over and bitterly cold, I was able to ride her 'cause parts of the driveway have cleared. Yesterday I put a bridle and saddle on Lily before we headed out. She had worn the saddle before, but that was only the second time I had put a bit in her mouth. She chewed and chewed and chewed for the first 15 minutes, but after that she relaxed and ignored it! I was so proud of her! She did have some fun bucking and playing as Sasha trotted beside her. She's so amazing because she doesn't pull on the lead rope and yet she can do wicked jumps and kicks in such a small space! She was really excited by the fact that it had been a few days since she had been out, the dog was yipping at her heels and the wind chose that moment to REALLY blow, right up their tails! YEE HAA!!

Why don't people ever stop by when the house is clean? I was just getting ready to make supper last night when a friend called to say he was stopping in for a few minutes. You should have seen me running around trying to get the worst of it picked up! This house is such a mess 'cause I've been so busy with everything else that I've barely been keeping up with the dishes & laundry and letting the rest of it slide. I was so embarrassed and he knew it so it ended up being funny....

Dad borrowed a Playstation and Guitar Hero for the boys to play! He hasn't put it down yet!! He was up half the night last night playing guitar....and he's started in again this morning. This afternoon, before he gets home from work I'll help the boys learn how to play it...Right now all they can do is watch.... ;-) It's right up our younger son's alley - he loves hard rock music and is quite often seen playing air guitar - now he can really learn how to play!

I've finished Day 5 and am now working on Day 6...

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Back to winter...

YUCK!! I was sooooo enjoying the spring-like weather last week! We have lots more snow, covered by a layer of ice. The roads are a real mess. Dad got home around 12:30 this morning. He said it was a very scary drive - he's never seen so many car crashes! We took the boys to Wal-mart & Pizza Hut this evening and these back roads are still a mess, so I won't be taking the horse trailer out tomorrow. I'm going to borrow a horse, Soul, so that I can still get a ride in. The clinic is next weekend....

I've spent the weekend working on team penning stuff. I have a newsletter and other paperwork to get out to our members. The boys have been working on their Pinewood Derby cars. The race is next Sunday and they are really excited about it!!

Trust your horse...

My friend is always telling me that I need to trust Sasha more. I tend to worry too much and that holds us back. This morning my son decided that he wanted to ride her down to meet the bus again, but at the last minute! Since we didn't have time to saddle up, I made him ride her bareback (which is good for him to learn). We didn't have time to mess with the bridle, so I just led her with the halter. Well, after the bus left, I debated what I was going to do - lead her or ride her in the halter, which I have never dared to do before. I was nervous for a couple of reasons - there were neighbors around, and anytime something bad is going to happen is when there are people watching, and yesterday we galloped up the driveway and I certainly didn't want her to think we were going to do THAT again, if I was bareback with no bit in her mouth! I finally decided that it came down to whether or not I trusted her to take care of me or if I really thought she would take advantage of the opportunity to dump me....I tied the end of the lead rope under her chin so that I had a loop rein and jumped on. She immediately started prancing, so I took 3 deep breathes and completely relaxed every muscle in my body, dropped the reins on her neck and asked her to please walk. She dropped her head and stepped off nice and slow and easy.....when we got to an icy patch, I simply picked up one rein and laid it on her neck and she stepped right over....when I wanted to stop and talk to another neighbor, I just picked up the "reins" and jiggled them a little bit to get her attention and she stopped....she got impatient after standing there for a few minutes and started to walk off, again I just picked up the reins and jiggled them a bit more and she backed right back to where we were....and when I was done talking we very quietly walked back to the pasture. I'm soooooo happy I trusted her!! What a fantastic confidence builder for me! She DOES listen to me, after all....

Rainy day...

This morning it hadn't started raining yet, so our oldest rode Sasha down to the bus stop. He was anxious to practice all the tricks that he learned yesterday! He had a lot of fun and got to show off in front of his friends, which he just LOVED...

After the bus left, I hopped on Sasha and, just for the heck of it, we galloped up the driveway to get Lily! YEE HAA! I'm really working on my own lack of confidence and just doing that and having fun with it and not worrying about "what if?" is very good for me. Then, we took Lily for a walk up the road across the street. She was very well behaved and we would have gone for a longer ride, but by then the rain was really starting to come down! Oh well. At least I got a ride in today - I didn't expect to...

This afternoon I am taking the incubator to my youngest son's class room. Last year they hatched 17 chicks! The teachers had never had a successful hatch before that, but I was able to walk them through it step by step and it worked out very well. Everyone was very excited and they can't wait to do it again this year!

Lily's Lessons....

This morning my friend with the riding arena called and invited me over to ride with her - I loaded Sasha in the trailer and away we went! We had a GREAT ride! Sasha was feeling pretty peppy, so she was moving right out. We practiced rollbacks and manuevering around cones. We started having trouble picking up the correct lead at the lope, so I got to ride my friend's REALLY well trained horse! He is amazing. The slightest little cue and he does what you ask, without hesitation. Which means you have to be on your toes 'cause if you ask for a "Whoa", then he's gonna sit his butt down and STOP!! The first couple of times I was thrown forward - I'm used to Sasha taking her sweet time and several steps before halting. Anyway, it's good to ride a horse that does everything right all the time so that I can learn how it feels...

Poor Sasha, I rode her pretty hard and she thought that when we got home she was all done for the day. Wrong! Nate had requested before leaving this morning that he wanted me to walk her down to the bus stop so that he could ride her back up the driveway. (with me holding the lead) She was GROUCHY, but I told her to just get over it! Then, instead of being all done with her when we got back up here, he decided that he wanted to practice getting on and off. So she had to stand there while he climbed all over her. She was being so good that he started feeling more confident and even STOOD UP on her back!! I was holding her lead all the time, but even still, she never offered to move a muscle. She's such a good girl! He was having a blast and that was great to see since he has been so lacking in confidence on her. He started doing tricks, spinning around in the saddle while I slowly walked her and then jumping off while Sasha was still moving. It was AWESOME!! Maybe he will be my little cowboy....

Every day this week, I've been working with our 3-year old filly, Lily. She is headed to our friend's stable in a few weeks and he is going to start riding her for me. I'm continuing some of the lessons we started last year, in the hopes of making his job easier. I had taught her to load in our old trailer, but our new one is a step-up instead of a ramp load, so I was worried about her getting in. NOT a problem! She hopped right on in! She's SUCH a good girl! I've been ponying her off Sasha, which is good exercise for both of them. She is handling it very well, so all of her previous lessons have not been forgotten and she really has matured over the winter. I'm so excited to be able to ride her soon!



I've finished Day 4. Yesterday I started on Day 5...

I've been getting some weaving time in....YEAH!! This basket is a BIG one that I've been wanting to make for AGES. The pattern was free from Baskets of Joy and my sister-in-law bought me the hand-carved handles for my birthday LAST YEAR, so I was anxious to make it - I just never seemed to have the time or the reed for the project. Well, yesterday I FINALLY got it woven and I'm SOOOO pleased with it. It's BEAUTIFUL! Now I just have to decide what I'm going to do with it.... ;-)


These are some baskets that I made last week and dipped in strong coffee for that soft brown color. (I still need to stain the big basket.) The best part of coffee stain is that it smells so YUMMY! One is a silverware caddy and the other is a napkin basket.

I'm back....

An entire weekend without the Internet! Oh my gosh, how did we survive? Just fine, thanks!

On Friday I went to school for their annual Klondike race! It was GREAT! The weather was warm and sunny and the kids had a ball. They split all the kids (grades kindergarten to 6th) into teams of 4 or 5. Each team had a sled and a map. They would decide who would ride and who would pull the sled and then following the map, travel to several different "Alaskan" towns set up in different spots around the schoolyard and across the street in the park - quite a large area, which made for some pooped puppies! Whenever they would reach a new town, they would have to answer a question and if they were correct, they would be given a gold nugget. Whichever team completed the entire course within the alotted team and collected the most gold nuggets WON! My older son's team WON for his class! (They weren't competing against the older kids) I was assigned to assist them and they did great - I just followed along and made sure they didn't get lost. Our youngest son was on a different team but everytime I saw him he was pulling like crazy - he's such a little tough guy! Afterwards everyone went down to the cafeteria for a yummy snack and water - all the kiddos were sure ready to eat...

Saturday was another gorgeous day! I actually dragged my husband out to ride his horse - he hadn't been on him since last summer! He had a really great time. He was able to ride around the yard more than me 'cause Kitch's legs are much longer than Sasha's - the snow is too deep for her, so we were stuck on the driveway. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun and great exercise for her. I can tell her fitness level is improving because Kitch got all sweaty and Sasha didn't.

Sunday I took Sasha to a team penning practice. She was NOT a happy camper - she's so lazy and she knows that she's going to have to run as soon as she sees the cows and she really wanted to just get back into the trailer! But, she did great! We made plenty of mistakes, but we're still learning and she got tired, but not as much as I had thought she would and again, she didn't sweat too much, so I'm pleased with her conditioning thus far. We still have a ways to go, but she's looking better and performing well. She did plenty of fast manuevers and loping after cows and she didn't drop! And then, after each run, we would settle the cows for the next team and then go back and wait for our next turn. Instead of just walking back there, she always chose to gallop, so I know she wasn't feeling too poorly!!

THE coldest night of the year....

Exactly one month ago today, I posted that it was the coldest night of the year, so far. Not anymore...we're having another cold snap and last night it got down to 15 degrees below zero!! OUCH....

The wind has finally settled down, so it's a bit more bearable. Yesterday it was blowing so hard that it would practically knock you over! It started Monday afternoon and didn't settle down 'til sometime during the night. It was so powerful that it was just coming right in around our windowpanes, which made it mighty chilly in here!

The boys have started a Read-a-thon to raise money for their school. Last year they read 39 and 40 books. This year they are determined to out-read each other and also all their classmates. Last night our youngest read 3 books and our oldest read 2. If they do that every day, they'll definitely beat their own record!

Right now I have so many projects going - team penning newsletter and minutes, sponsorship info, letters to members, bridal shower invites....and the list goes on. Not to mention laundry, animals and trying to keep this house at least partly clean and cooking! I'm going insane....

I ended up being at a standstill on all my other projects, waiting for approvals, and I was sick of housework, so this afternoon I wove baskets! I made a napkin basket and a silverware caddy. I'm very pleased with how they came out...

Sasha's first practice this year...

I took Sasha over to the arena for some practice today - it's the first time I've been able to get over there since January! She got VERY tired, but she did pretty well. For the most part she listened to what I was telling her and did her sidepasses and rollbacks, reluctantly. After all this time, I think maybe flexing "clicked" for her! She has been sooooo stubborn about bending her neck back and touching her nose to my foot. She'll walk all over the place with her head turned to the side, refusing to give in and yeild to that pressure. I made a HUGE deal out of praising her when she finally touched my foot with her nose today and then when we tried it again a half hour later, she did it again! We'll see what happens next time, but I think that was a breakthrough!

The new trailer pulled very well, especially compared to the old one! Although I had to keep adjusting the brakes so that they wouldn't grab and cause the tires to drag and squeal. I hate it when they do that! Sasha seemed to like it well enough. It proves what a good, unquestioning horse she is when she'll jump up into it! She's so short that even on flat ground she really has to leap up to get in. At the arena, I managed to park it in a little dip, so it was quite a step down backwards for her to get out and then she had to launch herself to get back in! The floor was up to the top of her little bitty legs....

Our youngest is talking all about "Thing 1 and Thing 2" this afternoon. He got to read Dr. Suess to the kindergarteners today and is very proud of himself!

BOD meeting

This afternoon I will be going to a team penning board of directors' meeting. I have LOTS of paperwork to finish up this morning! YIKES! I didn't get to work on it yesterday....

Yesterday was a LONG day! We headed for Standish around 11 am for our nephew's birthday party. The boys had a great time playing with their cousins. We were there until almost 5, at which time we went over to my parents house. We were very surprised to see my brother and his family! They had also stopped in quickly to say "Hi!" too. The kids were psyched to see each other! Mom invited us to all stay for supper, so we ordered some pizzas and had a great visit!

On the way home we had to stop at Staples for some office supplies. There is a pet store in the same mall, so we let our youngest pick out a Beta fish. He's been wanting one for quite a while, so he was very happy! He already has 1 Beta fish, but we recently purchased a new tank which came with a divider so that you can house 2 male Betas together. So, he's been saving up his money to buy his fishy a friend....

Another snowy day...

The boys and Dad are home today. The snow is coming down and the wind is blowing. It's a good day to stay inside...

Recently our youngest rediscovered his LLBear and has been spending a lot of time snuggling with him. We found that he is the same size that the boys were when they were born! So, the teddy bear now wears some of the clothing that I had kept from their baby days. Perhaps some of you will even recognize this outfit!

This afternoon, Teddy ate lunch with us. When it became apparent that he really wasn't interested in what we were eating, the youngest announced "Teddy isn't a vegetarian, he's a HONEYtarian!"

New bunnies...

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from a friend who was looking for a new home for her bunnies. She knew we would take good care of them, so she offered them to us! First thing this morning I went over to her house to get them. They came with a HUGE cage, which was a real challenge to load in the truck and get back home with! But, I did it and I was even able to unload it by myself so that they didn't have to wait for Dad to get home before they went back into it. The boys named them Bun-Bun and Princess Leia. They are very excited to have more cuddly animals to snuggle with!

This evening we had 2 events to go to, so we got split up - Cub Scouts and Title One. I was in charge of the food for the Title One meeting, so I made the Cinnamon Raisin Pretzels that everyone likes so well. The boys enjoyed both of the meetings.