Making changes to meet my goals

It was a tough decision, but I've decided to leave my dressage instructor.  Since I now have two jobs, the working student agreement is no longer working out and I felt that my instructor was not focused on giving me lessons half the time.  Riding is not just a hobby for me, I want to turn it into a career, so I need an instructor that takes my goals seriously, believes in me, and is focused.  So this week I begin the hunt for a new instructor.  I have one in mind, but I have yet to meet her and see how she teaches.  That will happen this week.

My new job and some good resources

Hello, everyone. I just added a new job to my list of things that I do.  I work for Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship, which helps people with disabilities through equestrianism, as a stablehand.  Today was my second day and I'm meeting a lot of cool people.  Unfortunately, the job cuts into my dressage working student time, so I'm trying to work out a new deal with my trainer.  I was going to try to lease a horse now that I have a job, but after a lot of thinking, it'd be irresponsible for me to get a horse right now, so I'm going to continue working my ass off in exchange for rides and jumping at the opportunity for free rides.  Such is the life of the horseless rider.

I was hoping to be in a show this coming weekend, but the owner of the horse I ride isn't going, so that means I'm out.  I was really looking forward to showing.

I bought the book Yoga for Equestrians to help me work on my muscles and balance for riding.  So far, I'm having trouble doing it consistently, but I think once I create a routine, I'll start seeing some improvement.

I got a free month of Dressage Training Online through Chronicle of the Horse (I don't have the link to the code, sorry!) and I've been watching the videos religiously.  I have hopes that the information will just sink into my mind and I'll instantly become a better rider.

I've also been obsessively watching videos on EquestrianLife.

It is my hope that all of the above will improve my horsemanship, riding, and really help on my road to becoming a professional rider.

Winter Riding is Cold!

It's been almost a month since I posted last.  I'm sorry, but with it being winter and all, I haven't had a whole lot going on and I haven't had any post ideas.

Yesterday at my lesson, the horse I normally ride turned up lame so I got to ride a more advanced horse for the first time.  Her name is Tiana and she is quite the stubborn mare especially since I'm still very much a beginner.  She was testing me out quite a bit and seeing what she could get away with, but I did my best to not let her take advantage of me.  I don't know what it is with me and stubborn horses, but I love them to death.  I think I just like a challenge and they teach me to be better than I am.

When I gave Tiana the correct signals, though, she was quite amazing.  We did haunches in, leg yields, and worked on circles.

For the past few days, I've been watching the clinic with George Morris on the USEFNetwork.  It has been super informative and I love that I can enjoy a clinic without leaving my house.

Because I never rode in the winter before, I have absolutely no winter riding clothes.  For Christmas, my parents bought me a jacket from Bit of Britain.  It does not look like it would be warm, but it is.  It's light, but lined with faux fur, has a hood, and I can fit a hoodie underneath it.  So far, my body has kept warm while mucking out stalls and riding.

The only parts of me that have been cold are my feet and my legs and seat.  So now I'm going to buy winter riding breeches and a pair of heavy sports socks.  Then I should be set for winter riding.

Dividing Time

Hello, dearest readers!  A lot has been happening since I last updated, but I have not been riding.  I imagine I will be incredibly sore after my next lesson.

I cannot remember if I mentioned this before, but I am a creative writing for entertainment student and also an independent filmmaker in addition to pursuing my equestrian interests.  I was asked in my last blog post how I can juggle it all.  I haven't even mentioned the fact that I am also a sideshow performer that travels the country for shows on occasion!

So how do I do it?  I honestly don't know.  I have to be constantly busy or else I fall into a deep depression, so unless my schedule is packed full of interesting activities, I'm probably contemplating suicide.  That probably isn't a very funny joke considering my history.

I am grateful that often my interests and pursuits collide.  I was filming the demo for fellow circus performers last year and while I was at the festival they were performing, I also filmed things around the festival (lots of horses, as it was the Old West Festival), and this year that turned into the commercial for the festival that aired on television.

Then also, this past week I was working on an assignment for which I was able to film my trainer's day as research for a film treatment that I'm writing for class.

I created a business combining my love of media and horses this past year and my husband and I are still working to build it up.  We offer media services to horse people.   (Obligatory website plug)  Combining my interests definitely helps keep me going and able to do all the things that I love.

I think the fact that I am going to school online is a big help for my crazy lifestyle, too.  I also do not have a regular job that I must be at everyday as I currently earn my money by grooming for the polo club (although not now because it is the off-season), house-sitting, and my occasional performances and media gigs.  However, because I don't have a regular or consistent income, I have to say no to going out often and I have to barter for the things that I want.  For example, I have to work in exchange for my dressage lessons.

My life is really complicated because of the things that I do or do not do, but I get by.  It's a constant struggle trying to get on my feet and be a self-sufficient adult when I have such strange standards and cannot stand doing anything that I do not enjoy.  I'm hoping to move later in 2013 to somewhere that is more friendly toward the foods that I eat, the type of work that I do, and everything else (Portland, Oregon, if you're wondering), but it's going to take a lot of work to get there... and all I do is work, even if I don't get paid for it.

So those of you that are pursuing your equine interests, but also want to pursue other goals, it is possible to do more than one thing.  I'm proof.  It just takes a lot more work than normal to get good at anything because you're dividing your time.

In somewhat related news, I was voted best groom of 2012 for the Cincinnati Polo Club.  :D

Dressage Progress and barn dilemma

I think I have had five or six dressage lessons now and my husband, Christopher, finally came to my lesson yesterday and took some video for me.  I have improved so much.  I love documenting my progress and my coach said I could probably start competing in the spring.  Unfortunately, however, my dressage coach is moving barns to a barn farther away from where I live and I haven't decided if I'm going to follow or not.  I know that if I don't, it will be near impossible for me to find another coach to take me on as a working student so close to my house.  I am still not earning much money and if I want to seriously pursue equestrianism to the degree that I dream, then I think I should follow my coach to the new barn.  At least for now.  She's moving barns in about a week, so I only have one more dressage lesson before it happens.  I'm mostly worried about affording the gas to get there.

I don't want to quit now as I can see myself improving so much and I just got back into horseback riding seriously.  Horseback riding has been saving my life for the past few months while I fight depression and suicidal thoughts.  It's been very therapeutic.  Horse Junkies United posted my story on Halloween.  I have fallen in love with dressage and it has been helping me so much.

I don't normally add copyrighted music that I don't have permission to use to my videos, but Emilie Autumn's "A Cure" strikes a chord with me and is just too fitting of an instrumental piece for me to pass up.

Without much further ado, here is my most recent progress video.

Dressage update!

I've had four or five dressage lessons now and I can really see myself improving.  Today was my first time with the canter in the lesson and for some reason, I felt off-balance and like I was going to fall off or Maxi was going to topple over.  Maybe it was just because of my lack of sleep last night, but it was really weird.  I canter the polo horses all the time no problem!  Other than that, the lesson went really well and I hope I am good enough to compete come spring!

Polo season is over and I've just been hanging out.  Last weekend, I house sat and horse sat the polo horses.  They all behaved very well and there was nothing exciting.  I rode once and jumped Allie a little bit (a very, very, very low jump that she could walk over, but she acted like it was really high at first.  Goofy horse).

With lack of anything else to say, here are some photos.

 Me "jumping" Allie in a polo saddle

 Me hugging Allie.

 Oprah, who is an ex-polo horse that has arthritis and is looking for a new home.

 Allie

 Allie

 Foxy, Nicole's dog.

 Aussie, one of the cutest horses I have ever met.

 Maxi, the horse that teaches me dressage... She's a saint with my bad riding.

Nicole working with her horse.

First dressage lesson

I had my first dressage lesson yesterday.  Nicole had me work on keeping the horse on the bit at a trot and stopping my feet from turning outward.  My legs are used to doing whatever is comfortable, so turning my knees inward for the lesson made me sore pretty quickly.  It was a good feeling, though.  I hope I improve enough so I can start competing by next spring.

When I rode as a kid, I don't think I fully understood what I was doing.  Since I started riding when I was 8, I probably took everything I learned for granted.  Now that I'm doing it again as an adult, I'm fully realizing the things I am doing that affect the horse and how we are communicating.  When I ride for the polo club, I admit to just being a passenger rider, but now I can start being more than that.

Needless to say, I had a really good lesson even though we didn't do much and I was on a lunge line.  It was an incredible feeling to notice the changes in the horse with half halts, leg yields, and playing with the reins to get the horse to be more round.

It was amazing!  I can't wait to do more.

I found this video of my instructor on one of my favorite horses at the barn.  Unfortunately, the horse was recently sold and will be leaving us soon... He's such a cutie.