a sort of update....

I decided last week to start jumping Nina. 
I dragged some standards out into the ring, built a crosspole with trot poles leading to it.
When I tacked her up I dug around til I found some jumping boots and put them on her.
We walked around the arena to warm up, she was happy and forward.
I asked for a trot - and she was head-bobbing lame!!!
I messed around for about half an hour walking and trying to trot and got the same thing.

She could have told me BEFORE I dragged this stuff out into the ring and spent time finding the jumping boots. 

Turns out she is shedding her frogs and getting sand stuck up in the yucky pieces as they come off.  She is also barefoot so no help from shoes. 
This will be over eventually and we will try again. 
This is about the only excitement in my life right now, hope everyone's summer is going well.

I can't wait to get internet service back in my house again.

Olympics

During the Olympics the TV is turned, by default, to whatever channel is broadcasting the competitions.
I don't have cable so I am stuck with the network broadcast of volleyball and swimming.  To be fair, they did show some track action and some crewing. .

The only equestrian action that I have seen was the end of a show jumping round, mostly of the horse's head, and 20 seconds of Ann Romney's horse circling the ring.
*sigh*
The cross country day of eventing pulled a crowd of 50,000+ which is more than what is going on in the stadium for the most part, but the network doesn't think anyone wants to see it.  Of course this is the same network that broadcasts Rolex with some basketball color guy admiring how pretty the horses are - repeatedly. 

A friend of mine texted me that the cross country was starting.  I texted back that I didn't have cable.  She answered that she didn't either - she was sitting in a restaurant watching it. 
I didn't even think of that!!!

For those of you who have cable (or high speed internet) enjoy whatever you can see.  For the rest of us - crewing is always fun to watch, talk about timing and rhythm!!

sort of an update

I have not fallen off the edge of the world - I am alive and well.  I turned off my internet access to save money, intending to make use of WiFi - which is, of course, available everywhere - and have not done it.  I need to try harder, I am cut off from all the news!!!

I do have one piece of very good news.  One of my students wanted to go out to Spring Gulch, which is a cross country course at a state park, usually open for schooling. 
I really felt that 100 degrees was just tooooo friggin hot to walk around teaching a lesson and I really needed transportation.  So I took Nina.  All I wanted her to do was keep her brain in her head and walk around and let me teach off of her. 

She was a rock star!

We had a few tiny glitches.  I felt like I was chasing her around trying to tack up as she tried to keep track of what was going on from both sides of the trailer.  There were other horses and riders out schooling that day.

I also was a little nervous getting on her.  We use picnic tables - steel, set in concrete - for a mounting block and she started to rear twice.  I wasn't about to get half way on and get flung into that! She finally settled and once I was on her she was obedient, generally very calm and wonderful. 

A horse schooling near us got loose and galloped right past and she just calmly watched it go.  She climbed up and down the hills, although she stared at the first really steep climb with a 'you have to be kidding' expression on her face.  She did get stuck when we got to the top of a hill and she was staring at the view.  Not nervous, just staring. 

I was thrilled.  For once she was looking to me for guidance instead of just reverting to taking care of herself. 
That's all for now, I will try to get to a WiFi and see what you all are doing soon.